By a Long Shot: Ukrainian Sniper Sets New Record

iSportsman Staff

When a soldier squeezes off that one perfect shot, it’s vastly removed from sporting glory—but make no mistake, the military has always been the crucible of precision. Whether it’s the world’s deadliest designers or tech that filters downstream into competition arms, these feats raise the bar for every shooter with a trigger at their fingertips.

On August 14, Ukraine’s elite “Ghost” (Pryvyd) sniper unit pulled off a staggering milestone: a single bullet, fired from approximately 2.5 miles (4,000 m), killed, not one, but two Russian soldiers—smashing the world’s confirmed sniper‑kill distance record. The shot was achieved with a domestically made 14.5 mm Snipex “Alligator” rifle, guided by AI‑assisted targeting (not your average ChatGPT)Kill powered by drones. He even accomplished the feat shooting them through a window.

A glow shows the point of impact of the Ghost unit sniper’s shot on two Russian targets 2.5 miles from his position. Photo Courtesy of the Ukrainian Embassy’s U24 Media

To put that shot into perspective, here are the three previous record‑holders:

1. Viacheslav Kovalskyi (Ukraine, 2023)
   In November 2023, Kovalskyi, a 58-year‑old veteran sniper with Ukraine’s Security Service, scored a confirmed kill at 3,800 m (roughly 2.36 miles) using an MCR Horizon’s Lord anti‑material rifle.
2. Unnamed Canadian JTF‑2 Sniper (Iraq, 2017)
   A Canadian Special Forces sniper, with a McMillan TAC‑50 rifle, achieved a confirmed kill from 3,540 m(about 2.19 miles) in Iraq—setting a global benchmark until Ukraine’s breakthroughs.
3. Corporal of Horse Craig Harrison (UK, Afghanistan, 2009)
   British sniper Craig Harrison, using an L115A3 Long Range Rifle, landed a double kill with consecutive shots at 2,475 m (1.54 miles) in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. For years, this was the gold standard of sniper precision—and still remains legendary.

Why This Matters to Shooters Everywhere

Think of military marksmanship as the “major leagues” of hitting from impossibility. It’s high-pressure and high-stakes. And it breeds breakthroughs in rifles, ammo sighting systems and, now, data-driven aiming. Technologies like AI-linked drones for spotting, refined long-range optics and new anti-material cartridges start on the battlefield—but ultimately empower competition shooters chasing tight groups at hundreds, even thousands, of yards.

So, while war and sport are worlds apart, the dedication to skill, the science of ballistics and the gear all stem from the same roots. Every clay-shooter or long-range competitor would do well to tip their cap to where that innovation first cuts its teeth and celebrate those brave military pioneers who pave the way for future improvements in firearms achievement.