Ukrainian ex-businessman breaks silence on record sniper shot on Russian officer
Ukrainian ‘ghost’ sniper firing at Russian position near Bakhmut
A Ukrainian sniper who is believed to have set a new world record with a successful kill shot has spoken out for the first time.
Vyacheslav Kovalskiy is believed to have executed the longest-ever successful sniper shot on November 18 – hitting a Russian target 2.4 miles away.
His target, a Russian officer, is believed to have been killed, although this has not yet been verified.
Kovalskiy said: “I was thinking that Russians would now know that is what Ukrainians are capable of. Let them sit at home and be afraid.”
Kovalskiy’s 12,470-foot shot was captured on video and reviewed by the Wall Street Journal, who have said it appears the previous record has been broken.
Kovalskiy and his spotters, who are both members of the military counterintelligence division of the Security Service of Ukraine, had initially observed Russian soldiers cutting wood.
However, they considered them too low-ranking to shoot, according to the WSJ.
But when a Russian officer appeared in their sights, they decided it was time to take action.
Kovalskiy had been laying in dirt for several hours in freezing temperatures waiting for a worthy mark to appear.
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He was given the all-clear once his spotter had used a laser to measure the distance, as well as specialist software and meteorological data to calculate the effects of the wind, humidity, temperature and curvature of the Earth.
The successful shot surpasses the previous record by a huge 850ft, according to Kyiv.
Experts have said Kovalskiy’s record breaking shot was indeed possible – but extremely difficult to execute.
Steve Walsh, a former US Marines sniper instructor, said: “For conventional sniping, there are so many variables that are hard to quantify, so the reality is anything over about 1,300 meters [about 4,265 feet] can be more luck than skill.”
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“There is no chance he survived,” Kovalskiy said of the shot, which appeared to strike the man right in his torso, according to footage.
Kovalskiy signed up as a sniper on the first day of Russia’s invasion last year and has said he has no issues with killing the Kremlin’s fighters.
He said: “It doesn’t worry me a gram”
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