Recruits swapping spreadsheets for sniper rifles

Recruits swapping spreadsheets for sniper rifles

Alex lowers himself into position on a camping mat with the careful moves of a man who knows backache. "It gets painful staying like this for long," he says, with a smoker's husky laugh.

But lying in wait is the task of the sniper.

Qazet.az reports that that's the wartime role for Alex, who used to have an office job in financial control. The 45-year-old settles in behind the rifle sights, with most of his face covered by a camouflage balaclava. He has been a hunter for a such a long time he says.

When Russia invaded Ukraine, Alex joined the territorial defence force, along with some 100,000 others according to the authorities here. "I wanted to do something for my motherland," he says.