'Like the beginning of an apocalypse': One of the world's deadliest snipers - a 40-year-old Canadian dad - documents his arrival in the Ukrainian warzone

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One of the world's deadliest snipers has joined the fighting in Ukraine armed with his rifle in one hand and a camera in the other, and he has begun documenting his latest mission online, calling war 'a waste of human mess.'

Wali, 40, is a former sniper with the Canadian Forces and recently answered President Volodymyr Zelensky's call for foreign volunteers to help defeat Russian invaders.

The sniper-turned-filmmaker from Montreal uses the name given to him by the Afghan people while on one of two tours of duty with the Canadian Royal 22nd Regiment, so as not to be identified. He served in Afghanistan and Iraq during the 2010s.

While his name remains a mystery, Wali is becoming a familiar face on the ground and is keeping an online diary of his experiences in Ukraine. Over the last 10 days, he has told of the warm welcome he received from Ukrainians grateful for the help to defend their country.

But his online musings also details the stresses and strains being placed upon the country, with air raid sirens a near constant reminder that nothing is normal any longer. 

Wali tells how he has been able to enjoy food made for him by locals, but that he has also been subjected to searches by the Ukrainian police and soldiers who at first can be wary of his volunteer group's presence. 

He also describes the ingenuity with how some Ukrainians have reacted to the presence of the Russian military, with one farmer managing to tow away tanks when soldiers went on a break, while those living in a city apartment block were able to trap soldiers in a building elevator by cutting off the power. 

Wali also describes how signs of life from before the invasion have disappeared with day-to-day stores such as IKEA, Starbucks and McDonald's closed - instead, with makeshift barricades erected outside as cities prepare for Russian invaders. 

Before arriving in the country, Wali says he made a plea for more fighters to join him. 

Wali served in the Royal Canadian 22nd Regiment in Iraq and Afghanistan and is now in Ukraine

Wali has taken up arms in several conflicts both with and without the Canadian army - he is now part of a band of volunteers who have taken up arms inside Ukraine

'The border was a surreal experience, even for a former Canadian soldier used to the unpredictability of war in the sun-scorched grape fields of Kandahar,' Wali details in his diary

'Wali' (pictured furthest right) was met with hugs and handshakes by the local population after arriving into Ukraine alongside three fellow former Canadian soldiers on Friday, March 4

Wali's diary began on February 27, three days after the start of the Russian invasion.

His sense of urgency is palpable as he describes being short of time but feeling a pressure to get to the front line to help his comrades as fast as possible. 

He pleas for them to come forward and advises them to take a flight to Krakow, Poland, where they will be able to cross the border, suggesting that they contact him once they arrive.  

'Stop being passive aggressive. Run it up! We have no time to waste,' he urges.

Wali, who left behind his wife and one-year-old son, was contacted by a friend who has been helping to arrange 'neutral humanitarian aid convoys' into the occupied Donbas region in the south east region of the country. 

He described the moment he answered the call to join the Ukrainian volunteer forces as being 'like a firefighter who hears the alarm ringing.' 

Wali told what motivated him to join groups of foreign fighters taking up arms in Ukraine

Wali crossed into Ukraine on March 1, which he documented in detail as he prepared to cross from neighboring Poland.

Wali went to fill up jerry cans with gas to make Molotov cocktails. He also says that is was 'surreal' to see echoes of life before the war began such as a brand-new IKEA. 

'Meanwhile, my comrade is being called by his wife, a Ukrainian. She and her daughter are hiding in a shelter. You can hear shells falling and windows vibrating from the speakerphone,' Wali wrote.   

Last week, Wali was still working as a computer programmer in Canada - now he's preparing to fight Russian troops.

'A week ago I was still programming stuff. Now I'm grabbing anti-tank missiles in a warehouse to kill people... That's my reality right now,' he told CBC News.  

Last week, in the dead of night, he finally crossed the border.  

The border crossing, he says, was a surreal experience, even for a former Canadian soldier used to the unpredictability of war in the sun-scorched grape fields of Kandahar. 

Wali said he and the three other former Canadian soldiers who made the journey with him were greeted with hugs, handshakes, flags and photos by Ukrainians after they crossed the frontier.  

Wali is pictured during the fight against ISIS in July 2012

Wali detailed his experience crossing the border from Poland into Ukraine

On his first night in Ukraine, he was able to stay in a comfortable AirBnb

Almost one week into the invasion, Wali described how there was a very positive mood among Ukrainians and describes how a farmer took matters into his own hands.

'A heroic atmosphere reigns here. We no longer count the stories of fighters and ordinary people defying the Russian Army. In one example, a farmer waited for the Russians to disembark their tanks during a break. He then towed the tanks with his tractor! Imagine that!'

Wali also described hearing from other soldiers also fighting in the field and how the forests were also said to be full of Ukrainian fighters, waiting for the arrival of the Russians.  

'Ukrainians will go down in history as a people of warriors!' he declares.

Wandering deeper into the heart of Ukraine, and witnessing the destruction wrought by Russian invaders and artillery barrages, Wali said he felt compelled to act.  

Wali tells how Ukrainians are coming up with their own crafty ways to defeat the Russians 

Wale tells how the forests of Ukraine are full of fighters waiting for the Russians to arrive

He told CBC News: 'I want to help them. It's as simple as that. 

'When I see a destroyed building, it is the person who owns it, who sees his pension fund go up in smoke, that I see.

'I have to help because there are people here being bombarded just because they want to be European and not Russian. I'm going there for humanitarian reasons.' 

The group of volunteers veterans are currently sheltered in an abandoned home and plan to link up with the Ukrainian defense forces soon.  

One week on from the start of the invasion, Wali described how he saw Russian war planes flying overhead. 

His British friends took out their phones and 'filmed the enemy jets like tourists from a big window.'  

He told how he was with three other Canadians and some British fighters who put their protective gear including bullet proof vests and helmets as soon as they crossed the border.

'I felt like I was getting ready for landing Normandy with some 'mates'', he joked.

Walie is with three fellow Quebecers and a 'large number of Brits'

Wali says during at one point, the Brits are like tourists taking their phone our to video Russian planes

A group of British volunteer fighters are also alongside Wali as he edges further towards the front line

On March 4, Wali described how a Ukrainian police SWAT team found the house where he and his volunteer fighting friends were staying. 

'Despite being undercover, the population had alerted the authorities,' he reveals. It was an experience that shook people up having been shoved to the wall, and sometimes to the ground with a boot close to their face.  

Wali said that at first he thought he was about to be captured by the Russians and likely be killed. Everyone in his party immediately put their hands up.

'Soldiers in the house put their hands up in the air like prisoners. One of the volunteers was talking to his wife on the phone. He was slammed to the floor.'

The SWAT team soon understood that Wali and his team were on the side of the Ukrainians with the group ultimately laughing and joking with one another. 

'It put everyone in a good mood. It even allowed us to make more contacts in Ukraine,' he states dryly. 

The home where Wali was staying was raised by a Ukrainian SWAT team who were suspicious

The mood suddenly takes a turn once Wali leaves the city where he has been staying and takes a trip out into the suburbs.

'This is an apocalypse in the making. Poor people. Soon we enter a service station. Looking at the menu... Realizing there's no more food available. I look around and realize the tables are empty. People will eat whatever is left over.'

Wali tells how the roads are 'filled with refugees and stopped cars,' as people leave their homes and their lives as enemy helicopters buzz overhead. 

'Poor people. Sadness,' he states, bluntly.

He portrays and emotional scene as he comes across an elderly man who with tears in his eyes shakes his hand.  

'An old man is approaching. They shake our hands without saying a word. His eyes were filled with tears. He stares us in the eyes for several seconds.

'Need I say more?' he writes.

Wali details how the roads are full of refugees and parked cars 

Wali said that he felt a gratefulness from the Ukrainians as he arrived

Wali continues to describe his experience in the country noting that not everything is as terrible that is being reported on the news - he even had the opportunity to take a hot shower - although everything is shut and there are sandbags and barricades everywhere.

'Today we are closer to the front. Y'all probably think I'm getting shot non stop and shells popping around me? There is nothing like that! 

Wali tells how evidence of once normal life such as McDonald's, and gas stations are now stacked with sandbags and other barricades .

He describes how the streets are filled with X-shaped anti-tank obstacles which were also used during the Second World War.

Throughout his descriptive diary, Wali tells of several small victories including the downing of a Russian drone after a woman through a jar of pickles at it, and the trapping of soldiers who became stuck in an elevator after residents pulled the power.  

'A month ago, the Russians seemed invincible. That's not the case today anymore. Victory begins when we see defeat in the eyes of the enemy,' he says optimistically, in a turn of phrase that he has begun to use more than once.

Stores from Starbucks to McDonald's are all closed while there are sandbags in the street 

'A month ago, the Russians seemed invincible. That's not the case today anymore. Victory begins when we see defeat in the eyes of the enemy.'

Wali tells how the Ukrainian people are taking matters into their own hands to defeat Russia

By March 7, Wali details how on-edge the Ukrainian soldiers are but that the 'mood changes' once they know you are on their side. 

The scene he describes appears bleak with the corpses of Russian soldiers being hung from posts at a Ukrainian roadside checkpoint. 

At the road block, he tells of tension on both sides with fingers on triggers ready for anything.

Eventually, the soldiers carrying out the inspection realized that the team they had stopped were on their side and the mood changed in an instant. The soldiers put down their weapons and even helped Wali and his team fill up with gas and later managed to enjoy a hot meal. Wali sees just how hospitable Ukrainians can be. 

'Ukrainians are tough on invaders, but welcoming with those who came to help them. It's hard not to love a people who just want to be free!

Wali poses with his new-found Ukrainian friends and a fellow Canadian soldier. 'Ukrainians are tough on invaders, but welcoming with those who came to help them. It's hard not to love a people who just want to be free!'

During a checkpoint, Wali and his fighter friends came under suspicion with tensions running high until they realized whose side they were on

In one of his more recent postings, Wali makes comparisons between the Ukrainian invasion and scenes from World War II, such are the similarities of scenes he is witnessing. 

'In cities near disputed areas, almost all businesses are closed. Sandbags are stacked behind windows and X-shaped obstacles are placed on the sidewalk. These places could soon become the next defensive positions.

'I feel like I'm witnessing WWII in color!'  

Wali says he believes he is among the first group of volunteer fighters to enter the country 

 

Wali makes comparisons to pictures he had seen of the Second World War. 'I feel like I’m the spectator of WWII in color!' he says

Almost two weeks after the start of the Russian invasion, Wali posted a picture of Ukrainians sheltering in a bunker as air raid sirens could be heard outside. 

'The Russians are not happy. Air warning sirens are being heard continuously,' he states. 

Wali tells how the people have now endured almost two weeks of war yet have somehow managed to adapt to their new way of life.

The news they are scrolling through on their phones is all about what is happening in their own country, and sometimes right outside their front door, but they are still managing to also watch the same inane YouTube videos.  

He states that while it is easy to go underground to shelter from rocket attacking and bombing, if I building is hit, it can become extremely cold very quickly. Winter in Eastern Europe means subzero temperatures and it can be virtually impossible to heat a house that has been hit.  

'This is what the daily daily life of Ukrainians looks like in the bombed areas. When the alarm goes off, people rush to the basement... Humans have a great adaptation ability. People here are mostly used to this war that didn't even start two weeks ago. 

'War is a waste of human mess.'

Wali details how regular Ukrainians are forced to take shelter in basements and bunkers

After fighting in the Kandahar theatre during the Afghanistan War between 2009 and 2011, Wali, who is now a dad of one then took it upon himself to travel to Iraq in 2015 to help fight the Islamic State's forces.

In June 2017, one of his comrades reportedly shot dead an Islamic State terrorist from an incredible distance of 3,450m - more than two miles away for the longest ever kill shot. 

On Saturday, Ukraine's defiant president Volodymyr Zelensky put out a plea and appealed for members of the international armed forces community to fly to Eastern Europe and join the war effort.  

A 40-year-old Canadian sniper known only as 'Wali' (above) is set to join the fighting in Ukraine after answering President Volodymyr Zelensky's call for foreign volunteers to help defeat Russian invaders

The marksman, known only by his nickname 'Wali', hails from the Royal Canadian 22nd Regiment and has previous combat experience from fighting in the Kandahar theatre during the Afghanistan War between 2009 and 2011. Pictured above in Afghanistan in 2009

Just last week, 'Wali' was still working as a computer programmer in Canada. Now he leaves behind his wife and baby son, who will celebrate his first birthday without him next week

More than 20,000 people from 52 countries have already volunteered to repel the Russian invaders in Ukraine, where they will serve in a newly created international legion, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said over the weekend. 

He said: 'I know it's just awful, but me, in my head, when I see images of destruction in Ukraine, it is my son that I see, in danger and who is suffering.'

Wali's wife, whose identity has been protected for security reasons, said she reluctantly allowed him to leave and that keeping him home would have been 'like putting him in jail.'

Ukraine has plans to field a reserve unit of around 10,000 trained officers and more than 120,000 volunteers to repel the Russian invaders. 

On Saturday, Ukraine's defiant president Volodymyr Zelensky put out a plea and appealed for members of the international armed forces community to fly to Eastern Europe and join the war effort. Pictured: A sniper is pictured in the Zaproizhzia region, Ukraine on February 18

More than 20,000 people from 52 countries have already volunteered to repel the Russian invaders in Ukraine, where they will serve in a newly created international legion. Pictured, members of Ukraine's international legion, where volunteers from the US, UK, Sweden, Lithuania and Mexico have joined

Pictured, volunteers from Portugal and Brazil in Ukraine army fatigues in the days following Putin's invasion