SHARPSHOOTER
Ukraine claims sniper took out Russian soldier from 1.7 MILES in the second-longest combat kill ever recorded
A SNIPER wiped out a Russian soldier from 1.7 miles away in the second-longest combat kill ever recorded, Ukraine claimed.
Extraordinary footage showed the moment the Ukrainian sharpshooter reportedly took the shot from an impressive distance of 8,891ft - the length of 26 Wembley football pitches.
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Shocking video showed the Russian soldier dropping to the ground after the skilled Ukrainian sniper took the long-range shot.
The Office of Strategic Communications of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said the sniper came very close to taking the world record for the longest combat kill.
They said: "The occupier was eliminated by a precise shot of our special forces from a distance of 2,710 metres (8,891ft) - a distance that now ranks second in the world ranking, confirmed by the command of the Armed Forces."
Ukrainian marksmen are using some of the most powerful rifles ever made — the 6ft 5in Snipex Alligator and the 5ft 9in Sniper T-Rex.
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Both have a muzzle speed of 3,200ft per second - meaning it would take just three seconds to hit the target.
The weapons can fire a 14.5mm bullet over ranges of more than four miles.
The skill of the Ukrainian sniper in taking down an insurgent from 1.7 miles away requires great eyesight, precision of ammunition and firearms, and intense training.
The National Guard of Ukraine said: "With the onset of dusk, snipers of special forces units of the National Guard go hunting.
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"Very quick and accurate work by one of them last night."
The current standing world record for a long-range sniper kill is 3,540 metres, made by a Canadian special operations sniper in Iraq in 2017.
The longest confirmed kill world record was previously held by British sniper Craig Harrison, who shot a Taliban soldier with a 338 Lapua Magnum rifle from 8,120ft - equal to 1.5 miles - away in 2009.
Previously Canadian Corporal Rob Furlong had set the world record in 2002 at 7,972ft when he gunned down an Afghan insurgent carrying an RPK machine gun during Operation Anaconda in 2002.
Weeks before that the record was held by Canadian Master Corporal Arron Perry who fatally shot an insurgent from 7,578ft during the same operation.
According to Ukraine, the Ukrainian sharpshooter's combat kill has now taken second place in the record books, booting Harrison down to third in the rankings.
Fearsome Ukrainian snipers have been on the bloody frontline of the war with Vladimir Putin for months.
A mum who became the face of Ukrainian defiance is fighting in deadly “kill or be killed” battles with the Russians.
Longest sniper combat kills
11,300ft - A member of Canada's Joint Task Force 2 killed the insurgent with a McMillan TAC-50 sniper rifle during an operation in Iraq in 2017
8,120ft - British sniper Craig Harrison shot a Taliban soldier with a 338 Lapua Magnum rifle in 2009
7,972ft - Canadian Corporal Rob Furlong gunned down an Afghan insurgent carrying an RPK machine gun during Operation Anaconda in 2002
7,578ft - Canadian Master Corporal Arron Perry fatally shot an insurgent during the same operation
An iconic picture of Mariana Zhaglo, 52, wielding her sniper’s rifle was seen across the word back in January - and she has been on the frontline since then.
She vowed to give Vlad a "long and gradual" death if she ever gets the chance.
And a sniper hailed as Ukraine's very own "Lady Death" become a national hero as she defiantly battles Russian soldiers undercover.
Known only as Charcoal, the sharpshooter's identity is shrouded in mystery as she vows to fight Putin's butchers "to the very end".
The determined sniper volunteered to return to the front line with the 35th infantry brigade of Rear Admiral Mykhailo Ostrogradsky.
Charcoal has been likened to Ukrainian-born sniper Lyudmila Pavlichenko for her heroic efforts.
Pavlichenko earned herself the nickname Lady Death as she clocked up 309 Nazi kills in World War 2 and is claimed to have never lost a sniper duel during her years of service - always getting her man.
Another trained killer, nicknamed Wali, arrived in Ukraine in March after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's call for foreign volunteers.
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Wail had previously travelled to Iraq on his own to fight against ISIS in 2015.
Equipped with a £5,000 military-grade .338 sniper rifle, the feared marksman claims he can kill at a range of 1,400 metres.
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