No, this Canadian sniper didn’t die in Ukraine right after he arrived

Published on: 03/23/2022 – 15:52 Viral posts on social networks announced the death of a Canadian sniper named Wali, dubbed the “world’s deadliest sniper” in several media , and who was allegedly killed in the first hours of his arrival in Ukraine near Mariupol. Our editorial staff was able to speak with this foreign fighter who left to fight against the Russian army, for whom this false information aims to dissuade foreign volunteers from going to Ukraine. Ex-soldier of the Canadian Royal 22nd Regiment, turned computer scientist, Olivier Lavigne-Ortiz left to lend a hand to the Ukrainians against the Russian invasion by joining the international legion for the territorial defense of Ukraine at the beginning of March. Known for his previous involvements in conflict zones, particularly in Afghanistan or against the Islamic State organization in Iraqi Kurdistan, and for his qualities as a sniper, the young man was announced dead in Mariupol in several publications relayed between March 12 and 16, some even claiming that he would have been killed “20 minutes after his arrival on the front line”, others claiming to have a video of the shooter who would have killed the young man, or even that it was in some case of a female “sniper” who allegedly shot him. This false information was also reported to us for verification by an Internet user via the Twitter account @InfoIntoxF24. Message from an Internet user to the France 24 Observers editorial staff via the Twitter account @InfoIntoxF24. © Twitter A denial from March 14, then again on March 22 The Canadian fighter himself denied his death twice on his own social networks: on March 14 with a Facebook post, where he explains: “Don’t worry not for my safety. I am already far from the base which was bombed yesterday. I have already been there but briefly”. The group of fighters that this Canadian had joined, the Norman Brigade, also posted a statement on Facebook to explain: “Wali is not in Mariupol. Rumors of his death began to appear around March 13 and the commander of the Norman brigade communicated with him on the morning of March 15. […] Wali is a free spirit and [nous avons dû] send him to another unit of his choosing as he was circumventing clear instructions and guidelines. […] He became a danger for the mission, for his family [de combattants, NDLR] and for himself.” After a few days of silence, during which the false information redoubled, Wali posted again on his Facebook page on March 22, this time with a photo of himself, surrounded by plastic bullets in a children’s game. He says: “The rumors that I had died in battle were completely ridiculous. The truth is that we took ground from the enemy in addition to causing them losses. Unfortunately, we also lost comrades, dead and injured. “When I turned on my phone, there was a torrent of messages asking me if I was dead or not!” this Canadian fighter on March 22, rather amused by the false information concerning him: “I was the last to learn of my own death, and the first to contradict it! On the front line, we have no right to have our phones, which are off and in a safe place. When I returned from the combat zone where I am for a rest period on March 21 [dans la région de Kiev, NDLR], I turned on my phone. And there was a torrent of messages asking me if I was dead or not! I actually never went to Mariupol: I started fighting in an area near the Dnieper River. Then after a dispute with the brigade commander, I returned to kyiv. When I learned that I was announced dead, I decided to take this photo in an old abandoned daycare center. It was my way of announcing that these rumors were ridiculous, and that everything was fine with me. The strength of these rumors is that as long as I didn’t respond to them, they could thrive. However, to me it’s just crude amateur trolling. I find it difficult to understand the strategy of this false information, because for me, it was quite easy to deny. Those who spread these fakes lose all credibility once the denial is published. This shows that they no longer have an argument, and are ready to launch anything on social networks. They may also be losing the war of disinformation on the Internet! Disinformation broadcast first in China Chinese sites quoting Russian-speaking sources, before being taken up everywhere, and in particular on several West African Facebook and Twitter pages. If the fighter explains that he did not particularly inquire about the origin of the false information, he has an idea of ​​the reason: “It’s a symbolic war for prestige reasons. I’m not essential to the war effort, but I represent one of the best-known foreign volunteers in Ukraine, so for propaganda purposes, it is good to assume my death to slow the influx of volunteers who would like to engage in the fighting in Ukraine My ‘quick’ death would have been a message that even experienced fighters could be killed easily.”