One of Russia’s top female snipers deployed to Kyiv amid Putin’s invasion has been captured by Ukrainian forces.
40-year-old Irina Starikova, who is originally from Serbia, has been wanted by Ukraine since 2014 after she began fighting for Russia.
Now, the notorious sniper was captured by Ukrainian forces after being left for dead on the battlefield following the retreat of her comrades.
“[They left me] knowing that I was injured and had the opportunity to pick me up…hoping that I would die,” she reportedly said.
As the local authorities have since claimed, Starikova stands accused of “killing 40 Ukrainians including civilians.”
Meanwhile, the local media shared a military report claiming that the sniper was provided with medical treatment for her injuries following her capture near Kyiv.
It has further come to light that Starikova had been fighting alongside pro-Russian separatists in Donetsk since 2014.
While some countries frowned upon this practice, the Soviet Union is well-known for deploying female sharpshooters to overcome the German forces back in the 1940s during World War 2.
One of the most renowned female snipers was Lyudmila Pavlichenko, also known as Lady Death, who added 309 kills to her name before getting wounded in 1942.
Following her injuries, the USSR’s most prolific female sniper retired from active service and became a propagandist and a spokesperson for the communist regime.
According to some estimates, it is believed that around 800,000 women served in the Soviet Union’s army throughout World War 2.
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