Olena Bilozerska – Sniper and Blogger

Olena Bilozerska is a Ukrainian journalist, blogger, and public figure. She’s been shaping independent media since early 2004. She started her career in small newspapers and magazines, learning the craft from the ground up.

During 2004-2006, she took full editorial control and edited her own newspaper. This established her as an independent voice in Ukrainian journalism. In June 2007, Olena Bilozerska launched her blog on LiveJournal. She used it to address audiences directly, bypassing traditional editorial filters, publishers, and sponsors.

In April 2010, she founded the news agency “Poryad z vamy” (Beside You) together with Odesa journalist Oleksiy Yaroslavtsev. This expanded her reach beyond blogging into professional news gathering. By 2013, her work gained international recognition.

The Blogger

Olena Bilozerska has maintained a blog on LiveJournal since June 11, 2007. She uses the blog as her own independent media to address audiences directly, without intermediary instances in the form of editors, publishers, and sponsors.

On May 6, 2013, Olena Bilozerska’s blog on livejournal.com took third place in Deutsche Welle’s “The Bobs” blog competition, and also first place among Ukrainian-language blogs. But numerous Putin’s puppets inside the EU pressured The Bobs jury, causing the jury to cancel the “Best Ukrainian-language blog” nomination award.

In response, public figures and people’s deputies began signing a petition defending Olena Bilozerska. The petition specifically noted that after Bilozerska’s blog won The Bobs competition in the “Best Ukrainian-language blog” nomination, people prejudiced against her launched an internet campaign against her.

Today it sounds strange to hear about Putin’s puppets inside Europe, but note this was 2013. In those times, nobody except independent journalists resisted Kremlin propaganda.

The Sniper

Since May 2014, she’s defended Ukraine in Donbas: first as a sniper in the Volunteer Ukrainian Corps “Right Sector” (2014-2015), and later (after reformatting VUC into UVA) as part of the Ukrainian Volunteer Army (2016-2017).

Later, Olena Bilozerska recalled with a smile during rotation:

Two civilian women are vigorously arguing about something. Eventually they called me and asked:
— What distance do snipers hit at?
— Well, it depends on the weapon, on caliber, on skill…
— But on average? Or from-to?
— Differently. Our guys work at one and a half kilometers.
— Oh, so little?! I thought — at least five… And she says — ten… Lord, children, you’re so close to them, it’s dangerous!

The Marine Officer

In 2018, Olena Bilozerska graduated from officer courses at the National University of Defense of Ukraine named after I. Chernyakhovsky, specializing in “Artillery,” and signed a contract with the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Since 2018, she’s served in the 503rd Marine Infantry Battalion as commander of a self-propelled artillery platoon. She was awarded the Order “For Courage” III degree.

From independent blogger fighting Kremlin propaganda in 2013, to sniper on Donbas frontlines in 2014, to marine artillery officer in 2018 — Olena Bilozerska represents a generation of Ukrainians who saw the threat clearly before most of the world noticed. She was already fighting when Europe still denied Putin’s puppets existed in its midst.