A Ukrainian sniper has broken the world record for the longest confirmed kill after taking out a Russian soldier from a distance of 3.8 kilometers (approximately 2.3 miles). The sniper, identified as 58-year-old ex-businessman Vyacheslav Kovalskiy, made the shot in just 9 seconds, covering a distance greater than that of two Brooklyn Bridges. Kovalskiy spoke to The Wall Street Journal in his first media interview, stating, “I was thinking that Russians would now know what Ukrainians are capable of. Let them sit at home and be afraid.”
The sniper and his spotter initially observed Russian soldiers cutting wood but deemed them too low-ranking to shoot. However, they soon spotted a group of soldiers, including an officer giving orders. After waiting for hours in freezing temperatures, Kovalskiy took the shot with the approval of his spotter. He used specialist software and meteorological data to calculate the effects of wind, humidity, temperature, and even the curvature of the Earth.
Footage of the incident went viral, showing one of the Russian soldiers dropping to the ground after being hit by the Ukrainian sniper. Remarkably, Kovalskiy was already packing up his rifle before it was confirmed that he had hit his target. The shot set a new sniping distance record, surpassing the previous mark by over 850 feet, according to Kovalskiy and Ukraine.
However, some experts in the sharpshooting community remain skeptical of the alleged feat. Steve Walsh, a former US Marines sniper instructor, stated, “For conventional sniping, there are so many variables that are hard to quantify, so the reality is anything over about 1,300 meters [4,265 feet] can be more luck than skill.” US ballistics expert Brad Millard confirmed the accuracy of the 9-second trajectory timing in the video.
The previous record for the longest confirmed kill was held by a Canadian special forces sniper, who shot from a distance of 3.54 kilometers in Iraq in 2017. British sniper Craig Harrison also held the title after killing a Taliban fighter in Afghanistan from a distance of 2.48 kilometers in 2009.
