A sniper from Ukraine's Defense Intelligence active operations unit, with the call sign ‘Lector,’ eliminated a Russian soldier with a .338 Lapua Magnum round at a distance of 2,069 meters, HUR reported.
The confirmed record for this caliber belongs to British sniper Corporal Craig Harrison of the Blues and Royals regiment. In November 2009, during the war in Afghanistan, he successfully eliminated two Taliban fighters at a distance of 2,475 meters and damaged their machine gun.
“Harrison fired from a prone position, located significantly higher than his targets. According to the corporal, his accuracy was aided by calm weather and clear visibility. However, before hitting his mark, the British sniper had to take nine calibration shots,” wrote HUR.
According to HUR, Lector operated on nearly the same elevation as the Russian soldier. Firing under the harsh conditions of a Ukrainian December, he took aim from a trench at a moving target concealed in a tree line—and hit his mark with a single shot.
“In modern warfare, you don't have the luxury of climbing out of a trench or lying down in a tree line. Enemy drones make it impossible to shoot from traditional positions,” the intelligence officer explained.
Chief of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine, Lieutenant General Kyrylo Budanov, commended Lector for his record-breaking shot.
“A masterful accomplishment that will undoubtedly go down in the history of our fight for freedom. Hitting a moving target at such a distance is a tremendous achievement and a testament to the exceptional professionalism and focus for which Ukrainian military intelligence snipers are renowned. We will continue our fight to eliminate even more Russian occupiers!” said Kyrylo Budanov.
In civilian life, Lector worked as a gamekeeper. He joined Ukraine's Security and Defense Forces alongside his son. Initially, he served in the intelligence unit of a Territorial Defense Brigade, and since February 2023, he has been fighting as part of the active operations unit of HUR.
According to the sniper, he selects a specific type of rifle for each mission. The historic 2,069-meter shot was made with a Sako M10.
“However, if I had to choose just one rifle and one caliber, I’d go with the Cadex Kraken and .338 Lapua Magnum,” said Lector.
Recently, Ukrainian artillery crews have reportedly achieved a world record in conventional field artillery range, hitting a target 70 kilometers away.
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