Olena Leonidivna Bilozerska (Ukrainian: Олена Леонідівна Білозерська; born 5 August 1979) is a Ukrainian sniper and journalist. She served in the Armed Forces of Ukraine and in Ukrainian volunteer battalions during the Russo-Ukrainian War.
Olena Bilozerska | |
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| Born | 5 August 1979 |
| Citizenship | Ukraine |
| Alma mater | Kyiv National University of Culture and Arts |
| Occupation(s) | Political activist, journalist, sniper |
| Awards |  |
| Military career | |
| Years of service | from 2014 |
| Battles / wars | Russo-Ukrainian War |
Life
editPrior to her military service, Bilozerska was a poet and a journalist.[1] In 2011, her apartment was searched by Ukrainian authorities and her electronic devices were confiscated. The search was decried by human rights groups as a violation of freedom of the press, as Bilozerska was not accused of a crime.[2]
Bilozerska saved money for two years to buy her rifle,[1] and she was taught to shoot by her husband in anticipation of military conflict with Russia.[3] She began her military career as a volunteer sniper,[3] serving in the Ukrainian Volunteer Corps from 2014 to 2015.[4] She was first stationed in Dnipro, Ukraine, shortly after the onset of the Russo-Ukrainian War in April 2014.[5]
Bilozerska was involved in the movement to allow women to formally enlist in the Ukrainian military, which was legalized in 2016.[1][3] She served in the Ukrainian Volunteer Army from 2016 to 2017. She formally joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine as an officer in 2018,[4] and she served as the commander of an artillery platoon for two years in Donetsk.[3]
Bilozerska was featured in the 2017 Ukrainian documentary Invisible Battalion, bringing national attention to female soldiers.[1][3] She published her account of the Russo-Ukrainian War, Diary of an Illegal Soldier, in 2020.[6] Bilozerska's reputation has made her a common target of Russian web brigades,[3] and the Russian government has falsely announced her death on multiple occasions.[4]
Awards
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d Olmstead, Molly (2022-03-03). "How Women Forced Ukraine to Welcome Them Into the Military". Slate. ISSN 1091-2339. Archived from the original on 2023-03-07. Retrieved 2023-05-02.
- ^ "Журналістку Білозерську обшукали й допитали". BBC News Україна (in Ukrainian). 2011-01-13. Archived from the original on 2022-02-25. Retrieved 2023-05-02.
- ^ a b c d e f Kuz, Martin; Soguel, Dominique (2022-02-23). "'We want to keep Ukraine free.' Why women rise in Ukraine army". Christian Science Monitor. ISSN 0882-7729. Archived from the original on 2023-03-08. Retrieved 2023-05-02.
- ^ a b c Osadcha, Yana (2022-04-17). ""Найкращі воїни – завжди роздовбаї". Снайперка Олена Білозерська про службу в ЗСУ та перспективи війни". Ukrainska Pravda. Archived from the original on 2022-10-30. Retrieved 2023-05-02.
- ^ Feshchenko, Roman (2022-05-19). "Legendary sniper Olena Bilozerska on her war, enemy tactics". The New Voice of Ukraine. Archived from the original on 2022-10-09. Retrieved 2023-05-02.
- ^ Tarku, Iryna (2022). "Family frames of the Russo-Ukrainian war in contemporary Ukrainian literature". Australian and New Zealand Journal of European Studies. 14 (4): 47–58. ISSN 1836-1803.
- ^ Pavlo Kushch. Government courier. (In Ukrainian). Олена БІЛОЗЕРСЬКА: «Навіть у бойові моменти не забувала, що я не тільки снайпер, а й журналістка».
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