Ukrainian Sniper Sets New Record for Longest Confirmed Engagement

A Ukrainian sniper has set a new world record for confirmed target engagement distance, hitting a target (two Russian military) from 4,000 meters.

The record was reported by Ukrainian journalist and military Yurii Butusov, who published a video of the shot.

“The Ukrainian sniper achieved a confirmed hit at a distance of 4,000 meters, updating the world record for engagement range. The bullet passed through a window where the target was located,” Butusov said.

According to him, the shot was made on August 14th, 2025, using a 14.5 mm Snipex Alligator rifle with aiming supported by an artificial intelligence system and adjustments from an unmanned aerial vehicle.

Snipex Alligator is a Ukrainian multi-shot, large-caliber, manually operated anti-materiel rifle, adopted by the Armed Forces in late 2020. It has an initial muzzle velocity of 980 m/s, an effective range of up to 2,000 m, and a maximum range of up to 7,000 m. At 1.5 km, its bullet can penetrate a 10 mm armor plate. The rifle is designed to destroy fortifications and lightly armored equipment.

The weapon is 2,000 mm long, with a 1,200 mm barrel, eight rifling grooves, and a twist rate of 419 mm. It weighs 22.5 kg without a magazine.

The record shot was carried out in the Pokrovsk-Myrnohrad sector by a sniper from the combined sniper unit ‘Pryvid.’ Over the past year, the unit has engaged nearly 1,000 Russian military personnel in defensive operations in the area.

The previous record, set in November 2023, was also held by a Ukrainian — 58-year-old Viacheslav Kovalskyi of the Security Service of Ukraine — who hit a target at 3,800 meters in the Kherson region using the MCR Horizon’s Lord Ukrainian-made multi-caliber rifle.

Sniping in the Ukrainian Armed Forces has developed to a high level, particularly since 2014, supported in part by charitable foundations.

Ukraine has developed and fielded numerous sniper and designated marksman rifles, specialized ammunition, and optics.

However, the widespread use of reconnaissance drones, especially those equipped with thermal imagers, has made sniper operations more difficult, prompting the development of new tactics.