THIS is the moment a Ukrainian sniper made history after recording one of the longest confirmed kills at a distance of over 2,000 metres.
Echoing the work of Eddie Redmayne’s sharpshooting fictional assassin, Jackal, the shooter entered the record books after eliminating a moving target from 2,069 metres away.
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The gunman, known as ‘Lektor’, meaning lecturer, cleanly took out his target with a single bullet from his 338 Lapua Magnum-caliber rifle last December.
He and his team had been camped out in their position for four days, battling heavy rain and strong winds, before conditions improved and enemy drones started swirling overhead.
A unit with high-tech machinery had been spotted, indicating the team was spying on a group of high-ranking officers or special forces.
Speaking earlier this week, the former gamekeeper claimed the “extremely difficult” hit was a record for the specific weapon and ammunition he had been using.
Wearing a mask to protect his identity, he told the Kyiv Post: “Pulling the trigger is all about pure shooting skills and you don’t think about anything else.
“Shots like that are rare, especially in real combat conditions, especially with this calibre.
“The hit probability was extremely low, but I took the shot and it worked. You have to know your bullet’s trajectory inside and out.
“It unconsciously sets a new bar. There is no room for error, you twitch and a drone will shoot you.”
Lektor’s kill comes almost two years after fellow Ukrainian sniper Viacheslav Kovalskyi shot a Russian dead from over 3,800 metres, believed to be the longest recorded shot in history.
He added: “We train and prepare at shooting ranges but not for such extreme distances and certainly not for moving targets.
“The task falls on the shoulders of a human and failed shots stick with you as much as successful ones, maybe even more.
“But duty keeps me in the army and there is a war in our country.”
Intelligence chiefs hailed Lektor’s “tremendous achievement” and claimed Ukrainian snipers were some of the best in the world.
Lieutenant General Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence, said: “This will go down in the history of our fight for freedom.
“Our snipers are a model of professionalism and focus.”
Lektor also revealed that he serves alongside his son, who told him that he would be going to fight Putin’s forces “no matter what”.
He said: “We enlisted together on the same day and we’re still fighting side by side.
“When the full-scale invasion started, he was determined to join.
“When your son makes that decision and people near your hometown are being tortured, how can a healthy, sane individual stay home?”
Will there be peace?
UKRAINE has accepted a US-backed peace proposal which will welcome in a crucial 30-day ceasefire – leaving only Russia to confirm the truce.
Washington and Kyiv held positive crunch talks on Tuesday with a number of key points drafted up to help Ukraine in their fight against despot Vladimir Putin and finally end the three-year conflict.
The US gave Ukraine assurances that they will turn back on intelligence sharing and security assistance after Donald Trump axed support earlier this month.
Both nations sent representatives across to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to hash out the terms of a ceasefire proposal.
After a gruelling nine-hour negotiation, the two countries released a joint statement on the positive meeting.
Ukraine announced it had “expressed readiness to accept the US proposal to enact an immediate, interim 30-day ceasefire”.
They added that it can be “extended by mutual agreement of the parties” after the month is over.
Putin played for time by refusing to officially commit to the US and Ukrainians’ proposed 30-day ceasefire.
The tyrant said he agreed in principle with a truce, but clogged the path to peace with “nuances” and impossible questions.
The delay tactics are feared to be part of a grand plan so that he can entrap and slaughter Ukraine’s forces in Kursk before signing Trump’s peace deal.
Russian forces have already seized 28 settlements in the wartorn region in the past week alone.
Despite the comments, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he is “cautiously optimistic” over a ceasefire deal being agreed.
