NEWSWEEK
A Ukrainian sniper has broken the world record by killing a Russian soldier at a distance of nearly 2.5 miles, Kyiv’s security service told Ukrainian media on Saturday.
A Ukrainian sniper working for the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) killed a Russian soldier at a distance of 3.8 kilometers, or around 2.3 miles, the SBU press office told Ukrainian media outlets, including the Gordonua.com and Ukrinform.
In 2017, a Canadian special forces sniper had held the record for the longest confirmed sniper kill at a distance of 3,540 meters in Iraq. British sniper Craig Harrison had previously held the title after he killed a Taliban fighter in Afghanistan in 2009, making the shot from a distance of 2,475 meters.
“The SBU sniper set a world record for a successful shot,” SBU’s press office told Ukrainian media. “He hit a Russian soldier from an incredible distance.” The SBU added that the shot had broken the previous world record by approximately 260 meters.
“SBU snipers are changing the rules of world sniping, demonstrating the ability to work effectively at fantastic distances,” the SBU said.
Meanwhile, the outlets also shared footage purportedly showing the record-breaking strike. The shot was made with a domestically-produced rifle dubbed, “the Lord of the Horizon,” according to Ukrainian media.
Newsweek could not independently verify this information nor the video, and has reached out to the SBU and Russia’s defense ministry for additional comment.
Ukraine is heading quickly into its 21st month of its war against Russia after the latter invaded in February 2022, plunging fighters on both sides into the tougher winter conditions of the approaching few months. The war has been previously described as an artillery war, but snipers have also played a key role on the battlefield.
