Ekaterina Bilyik lives in Zhidaev, Ukraine, is now training to take part in battles in the country's eastern regions

Jan 22, 2015 15:53 GMT  ·  By

Ekaterina Bilyik, a 68-year-old woman born and raised in the town of Zhidaev in Ukraine, might look like any other grandmother, but she really isn't. True, she does bake all sorts of treats for her family every once in a while, but for some time now, combat training has been her chief focus.

That's right, this old lady is enrolled in the country's military. Besides, she is pretty good at holding a weapon tight in her hands and firing it at whoever or whatever her latest target might be. Hence the fact that, in her home town, she is known as The Punisher.

How the heck did she end up in the army?

Well, like plenty of other people – mostly strapping, young men – 68-year-old Ekaterina Bilyik willingly signed up to be part of the country's troops. Yes, this mother of three and grandmother of five joined the army on her own accord.

In the video below, the woman explains that she wanted to become part of Ukraine's military forces to protect her country against intruders. Thus, it was following clashes between Russian-backed separatists and pro-Ukraine combatants in the country's eastern regions that she joined the army.

“I wanted to set an example, to show young people that no matter how old you are you can make a difference, and that was why I decided to sign up,” the 68-year-old grandmother says.

“I have lived here all my life and we survived the Nazi occupation and the Soviets, and I believe in standing up for what’s right and making sure we never see occupation again,” she goes on to add.

She isn't getting any preferential treatment

Nataliya Ishenko, a spokesperson for Ukraine's army, insists that this grandmother was subjected to and successfully completed the same military training exercises that all new cadets must perform.

The 68-year-old woman is now getting ready to join battles in eastern Ukraine and promises to prove her worth on the battlefield. Thus, Ekaterina Bilyik says that she knows her way around a gun just as well as all the other cadets and cannot wait to be given a chance to serve her country.