lady death Female sniper known as 'Charcoal' urges Ukrainian troops to 'defeat Russian orcs'

A female Ukrainian sniper known as 'Charcoal' has issued a rallying call to her fellow troops on the front line, declaring: “we must defeat these orcs”. 

The sniper who joined the Ukrainian marines in 2017, said Russian soldiers “are not human beings. Even the fascists were not as vile as these orcs. We must defeat them.”

Although her true identity is unknown, it has been reported that the experienced fighter has previously fought pro-Russian separatists in Donetsk and Luhansk.

After serving on numerous tours in the east of the country, Charcoal left the Ukrainian armed forces in January - just weeks before Putin ordered his troops to invade on February 24.

But she has been hailed a hero after returning to service in Ukraine and has been described as the country’s very own "Lady Death" as she defiantly battles Russian soldiers undercover.

Charcoal - whose face has been partially covered in pictures to protect her identity - has been likened to Ukrainian-born sniper Lyudmila Pavlichenko for her heroic efforts.

Pavlichenko earned herself the nickname Lady Death as she clocked up 309 Nazi kills in World War 2 and is claimed to have never lost a sniper duel during her years of service.

Her grisly achievement saw her not only being taken from the front line to meet all three Allied leaders – Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin – but also to receive her country's highest award, the Hero of the Soviet Union.

After the war, she would appear on postage stamps, while a feature film was made about her in 2015.

However, Charcoal's identity is shrouded in mystery and she is only ever pictured with her face partially covered.

The determined sniper volunteered to return to the front line with the 35th infantry brigade of Rear Admiral Mykhailo Ostrogradsky as she issued a rallying cry to Ukrainian troops

“We must take them all out,” she has been quoted as saying.

“These people are not human beings. Even the fascists were not as vile as these orcs.

"We must defeat them.

Last week it emerged that her Russian counterpart, a female sharpshooter Bagira, nicknamed after Rudyard Kipling's black panther in The Jungle Book, was reported captured.

Irina Starikova, 41, was taken by Ukrainian forces after being injured in fighting. The notorious mother of two was operating in the separatist Donbas region and is said to have over 40 kills. Her fate is unknown.

It has since emerged she is married to 43-year-old Alexander Ogrenich - aka Gorynych (Slavic dragon) - who was on the run from Belarus, wanted for a string of convictions, and has previously served time in jail.

He headed a separatist 'intelligence unit' in the so-called Donetsk People's Republic from around 2014 and claims to have killed over 100 Ukrainians in fighting.