Ukraine's deadliest female sniper was a beautician - now she's the 'punisher'
A Ukrainian beauty queen turned assassin has been branded "the punisher" in Russian media outlets for her crack sniper shooting skills.
New mum Evegeniya Emerald, 31, was left in a state of shock when she was first told she would have to kill other human beings. But she's changed her tune since then, and says that where men will hesitate when taking the shot, she "will never".
Evgenia - who gave birth just three months ago - tied the knot with a man she met at the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in a Kharkiva forest in October 2022.
The 31-year-old - who worked in the jewellery industry before the invasion - was first introduced to her weapon during Russia's 2014 invasion of Crimea.
She says she's now a stone cold killer and wouldn't hesitate for a moment to kill the enemy (@emerald.evgeniya)When Putin came back for round two, she signed up again, reports the Daily Star.
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"I came to my commander and I asked him, 'What can I do the best?' He said, 'You will be a sniper,'" she said. She described the "personal hell" of seeing her bullet hit its target. Because you can see what is going on. You can see hitting a target. This is a personal hell for everyone who sees that in a [sniper's] scope," she added.
Evgenia also explained how her body shook when she first realised she would have to take a life. "For 30 seconds I was shaking - my whole body - and I couldn't stop it. That realisation that now you'll do something that will be a point of no return," she said. "But we didn't come to them with a war. They came to us."
She is now the mum of a three-month-old (@emerald.evgeniya/Instagram)Despite her initial fears, Evgenia became a useful member of her brigade but still faced initial sexist attitudes. In one incident, a male soldier told her to go back to the kitchen.
She explained: "When I had just joined the special forces, one of the fighters came to me and said, 'Girl what are you doing here? Go and cook borshch [Ukrainian traditional soup].' I felt so offended at that moment I thought, 'Are you kidding me? I can be in the kitchen, but I can also knock you out'."
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