Ukrainian sniper sets new world record for longest shot after hitting Russian soldier
Charisa Bossinakis
Featured Image Credit: John Moore/Getty Images. Olena_Z/Getty Images
A Ukrainian sniper has broken the world record after killing a Russian soldier from almost 2.5 miles away.
The Independent reported that the marksman from Ukraine’s security service used a weapon called the 'Lord of the Horizon’.
He's beaten a record previously held by a Canadian special operations sniper, who shot an enemy 2.2 miles away in Iraq back in 2017.
In a press statement, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said: “The SBU sniper set a world record for a successful shot.
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“He hit a Russian soldier from an incredible distance.
“SBU snipers are changing the rules of world sniping, demonstrating the ability to work effectively at fantastic distances.”
Well, since it's already in Telegram channels, we'll say it too. A new world record: the SSU sniper destroyed an or< from a distance of 3.8 km ‼️
— Yuri Chornomorets (@Y_Chornomorets) November 18, 2023
Significantly, this shot was fired by a special forces officer with the Ukrainian "Lord of the Horizon" rifle. The previous world… pic.twitter.com/BJZ3HXr8pu
Footage of the custom rifle capturing the shot has made the rounds of the internet, showing the soldier falling to the ground just seconds after the trigger was pulled.
The 'Lord of the Horizon' rifle was developed and made by MAYAK, and, according to the Independent, it can fire bullets that travel faster than the speed of sound for nearly 10,000 feet.
Ukraine's military has provided no further information about the killing, including the location and the date.
It comes after a Ukrainian sniper claimed to have killed a Russian soldier from a distance of 1.7 miles, making it the second-longest range in combat kill, as per the Jerusalem Post.
"The occupier was eliminated by a precise shot, from a distance of 2,710 meters (1.7 miles), a distance that now ranks second in the world ranking. The kill was confirmed by the command of the Ukrainian Armed Forces," said Ukraine's Office of Strategic Communications on its Telegram account, according to the outlet.
The Russian independent media outlet Mediazona confirmed that since the beginning of the war, which kicked off in February 2022, 37,052 Russian soldiers have been killed.
Meanwhile, according to Reuters, more than 30,000 troops have died since Russia invaded.