The Brazilian sniper Thalita do Valle, 39, died in combat during a bombing in the war in Ukraine, where she joined the ranks of the International Legion as a volunteer, as confirmed by her relatives.
Do Valle died together with fellow Brazilian Douglas Búrigo in the Ukrainian city of Járkov on June 30 after the bunker in which he was found suffered a fire after being hit by a bombardment, explained his brother, Théo Rodrigo Vieira, in statements collected by local means.
“She was a heroine and her vocation was to save lives, participating in humanitarian missions,” Viera told the UOL news portal.
Model and actress in her youth, Do Valle was a rescuer and had participated in a mission against the Islamic State in the Iraqi Kurdistan region, which she narrated on her social networks and her YouTube channel.
There she received training to become an elite sniper and join the “peshmerga,” as the Kurdish armed forces that fought against the Islamic State are known.
“She received training and took the necessary courses to go to the front line. However, when she entered the Kurdish army, she specialized in precision shooting, with long weapons. Thalita was from the women’s army and was part of a front line with snipers elite,” he added.
The Brazilian also participated in various rescue operations in Brazil, such as the Mariana tragedy, which left around twenty dead after a dam broke in Minas Gerais in 2015, or the one in the city of Petrópolis, hit by heavy rains that left more than 200 dead. An animal lover, she rescued dozens of them during the Brumadinho mining tragedy, which also occurred in Minas Gerais in 2019.
Do Valle had arrived in Ukraine only three weeks ago and the last time he communicated with his relatives was on June 27, according to his brother’s recollection. “When we talked on the phone I wanted to know everything, but she said that she couldn’t talk much because the activities on the phone were being controlled by Russian drones. She called just to let her know that she was fine,” she said.
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