A female Ukrainian sniper codenamed “Charcoal” has been hailed as a national hero, drawing comparisons to a legendary Second World War sharpshooter nicknamed “Lady Death”.

The Ukrainian army has released images of Charcoal, with her face partially covered to mask her identity.

The unnamed markswoman joined Ukraine’s armed forces in 2017, fighting in the east of the country against Russian-backed separatists.

After taking a break from her job in January, the sniper rejoined the Marines when Russia invaded her country on 24 February.

In a message shared by the Ukrainian army, Charcoal vowed to punish Moscow’s forces. “We must take them all out!” she said.

“These people are not human beings. Even the fascists were not as vile as these orcs. We must defeat them,” she added.

Charcoal joins a proud line of Ukraine-born female snipers, the most famous of whom is Lyudmila Pavlichenko, who was dubbed “Lady Death” for reportedly killing more than 300 Germans during the Second World War.

Read more: Independent