Al Pacino or Schwarzenegger? The Image of Valeriy Markus has Taken Over Social Media.

The former sergeant major of the 47th OMBr 'Mahura', Valeriy Markus, appeared in the information space after one and a half years. He recorded a video in which he spoke about conflicts with the brigade leadership. However, in addition to discussions about Markus's story, Ukrainians were discussing his image.

Everyone noticed the beginning of the first video, where Markus takes a cigar and lights it. Ukrainians compared him to actors such as Al Pacino and Arnold Schwarzenegger, who were also known smokers.

In addition, Ukrainians also compared Markus to the main character in the Max Payne video game series and the Call of Duty series.

However, it is strange that many reactions were specifically to Markus's image with the cigar, rather than to his story in the video.

Markus spoke about conflicts with the brigade leadership, especially with deputy commander Ivan Shalaman and Colonel Oleksandr Sak.

On July 11, 2023, Markus announced that he was stepping down voluntarily to the lowest position and transferred from the brigade. After that, he disappeared from the public space. On December 11, he published three videos on his YouTube channel, which sparked discussions about his persona and problems in the military.