A sniper from the active operations unit of the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine, call sign "Lektor," eliminated a Russian soldier with a .338LM caliber bullet at a distance of 2069 meters.
The confirmed record for this caliber belongs to British sniper Corporal Craig Harrison of the "Blues and Royals" Guard Regiment. In November 2009, during the war in Afghanistan, he successfully hit two Taliban fighters at a distance of 2475 meters and also damaged their machine gun.
Harrison shot from a prone position, was at a significantly higher elevation than his targets, and, according to the corporal, the windless weather and clear visibility also contributed to the accuracy. However, before hitting his target, the British sniper had to make nine sighting shots.
Intelligence sniper "Lektor" was actually at the same level of elevation as the Russian soldier, aiming in the harsh Ukrainian December conditions, shooting while standing in a trench at an moving through a thicket — and hit with the first shot.
"In modern warfare, you don't have the opportunity to climb out of the trench and lie in a thicket, etc. Enemy drones don't allow shooting from classic positions," explained the scout.
The record shot by "Lektor" was acknowledged by the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate, Lieutenant General Kyrylo Budanov.
"Masterful work, which will certainly go down in the history of our fight for freedom. Hitting a moving target at such a distance is a tremendous achievement; a testament to the high professionalism and concentration that Ukrainian military intelligence snipers are known for. We continue the fight to eliminate even more Russian troops!" said Kyrylo Budanov.
In civilian life, "Lektor" worked as a gamekeeper. He joined the Security and Defense Forces of Ukraine together with his son. Initially, he served in the intelligence of one of the Territorial Defense brigades, and since February 2023, he has been fighting in the ranks of the active operations unit of the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine.
He underwent a number of specialized military training courses, including sniper training from Intelligence Agency and the Holy Wrath course from the Come Back Alive army support fund.
Since the full-scale invasion, "Lektor" has already destroyed more than thirty targets.
According to the sniper, for each task, he selects a specific type of rifle. The historic accurate shot at 2069 meters was made with a Sako M10.
"But if I had to choose one rifle and one bullet, I would take the Cadex Kraken with a .338LM caliber," said "Lektor."