Brazilian Model Thalita do Valle Who Volunteered to Fight With Ukraine Killed in Russia's Missile Strike

By Mary Webber First Posted: Jul 07, 2022 05:08 AM EDT

Brazilian model Thalita do Valle, who volunteered to fight with Ukraine, was killed in a missile strike carried out by Russia.

According to Newsweek, the 39-year-old Brazilian model, who had been in Ukraine for only three weeks, was killed in a missile strike in Kharkiv on June 30.

Do Valle became a sniper in Ukraine. The attack also killed former Brazilian soldier Douglas Burigo who reportedly returned to the bunker to find her.

In an interview with Brazilian news outlet UOL, the lieutenant responsible for commanding their platoon said their deaths happened while they were targeted during a mission to rescue people from a Ukrainian village that Russian troops had vacated.

Thalita do Valle's brother, Theo Rodrigo Viera, also told UOL that his sister was a hero who dedicated her life to saving people.

Brazilian Model Thalita do Valle Killed in Ukraine Due to Russia's Missile Strike

Thalita do Valle's brother noted that his sister's role was as a rescuer and provided cover for advancing troops in Ukraine. Viera said his sister became trapped in a bunker in Kharkiv amid heavy Russian bombing and died of asphyxiation, New York Post reported.

Viera noted that his sister had survived an earlier bombing in Kyiv, where she told relatives she could not say much more as Russian drones were monitoring cellphones.

The Brazilian model's brother said her friend Burigo had returned to save his sister in between the bombing but ended up dead.

Viera noted that Do Valle had always been involved in humanitarian missions with the "foreign legion of some country" or in Brazil. He said that his sister never encouraged young people to take up arms, adding that she was "a peaceful person."

Thalita do Valle, from Sao Paulo, was a former child actress, and she became a model after turning 18. According to her family, she studied law and was passionate about animal activism.

She has also worked with non-government organizations (NGOs) to defend animal rights. Three years ago, the former Brazilian model joined the Kurdish Peshmerga forces in Iraq, where she trained as a sniper.

Ukraine-Russia Conflict

Russia has recently ramped up its naval presence in the Black Sea by adding five missile carriers, two submarines, and one amphibious assault ship, according to officials in Ukraine.

This comes almost a week after Russia said it is withdrawing from a strategic outpost on Black Sea's Snake Island as a "gesture of goodwill."

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the arsenal sent by Ukraine's allies and western nations has "started working powerfully" against Russian forces, according to an Independent report.

At least 71 million more people across the globe have been pushed into poverty due to the rising food and energy prices triggered by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The United Nations Development Program said in its report that its estimates show 51.6 million more people slipped into extreme poverty in the first three months after the war.

Top UNDP official Achim Steiner said the "cost of living impact is almost without precedent in a generation." Steiner noted that this is the reason why it is so serious.

Russia will participate in the two-day G20 meeting with ministers in Indonesia as the war continues in Europe. Moscow will send foreign minister Sergei Lavrov to the G20 meeting starting Thursday in Indonesia despite opposition from other nations within the group. Lavrov will be participating with other G20 ministers.

German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock opposed the presence of Russia at the summit. Baerbock said Russia "must not be allowed to use the G20 meeting as a platform" with its war in Ukraine.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

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