WP:I've tried to reach Ukrainian snipers I met before the invasion. One message came back: 'It's war

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

here.’

NEVELSKE, Ukraine — A silhouette stood out for just a moment, which was plenty of time for Dancer to ready his aim. He squeezed the trigger, and the pixelated human figure was upright for roughly two seconds until the sniper’s bullet found its mark, crumbling the enemy fighter onto frozen earth.

Smile Platoon lived up to their name, gathering around the kitchen table to watch the video of a recent kill. The snipers laughed, recounting that the recent operation was the same spot they had earlier killed Russian-backed separatists.

“Are they stupid?” one asked in amused bewilderment. “Are they immortal?” another bellowed, watching the handiwork of Dancer, the call sign for a sniper whose ballet training in a past life helped him silence his footsteps. One of the soldiers hit play, and the video rolled again.

My colleague and I visited the platoon’s team house in the days before the Russian invasion, when the platoon kept busy terrorizing separatist fighters outside Donetsk, working on a front line that no longer exists. With the conflict widening into all-out war throughout the country, the platoon has gone dark except for one message.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/ive-tried-to-reach-ukrainian-snipers-i-met-before-the-invasion-one-message-came-back-it-is-war-here/ar-AAUDFDv