Three weeks after joining the battle against Putin’s men, a Brazilian model and female sniper was slain in Ukraine by a Russian missile strike.

The 39-year-old Thalito do Valle, who had previously battled against ISIS in Iraq, participated in humanitarian missions all over the world. She was killed last week when a rocket in the eastern city of Kharkiv struck her bunker.

Douglas Burigo, a 40-year-old ex-soldier in the Brazilian Army, was also slain in the attack after visiting the bunker to look for Thalita.

According to other combatants, she was the lone soldier left behind after the initial missile hit.

Thalita documented her conflict experience on her YouTube channel where her videos on fighting ISIS gained her 32,000 views.

She previously studied law after working as a model and actress in her youth, and has participated in animal rescues with NGOs.

Her videos reveal how she received sniper training when she joined the Peshmergas, the armed military forces of the independent Kurdistan region of Iraq.

Thalita’s brother Theo Rodrigo Viera described her as a hero with a vocation for saving lives and participating in humanitarian missions.

He explained that she had only been in Ukraine for three weeks, where she had been working as a rescuer as well as a sharpshooter. 

She was also reportedly responsible for providing cover from advancing Russian forces.

After surviving a bombing in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, Thalita explained to her family that she could not talk much as mobile phone activities were being monitored by Russian drones and would only call to let them know that she was fine.

The last time they spoke was last week Monday after Thalita had just moved to the city of Kharkiv.

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