MOSCOW, Apr 26 — RIA Novosti, Andrey Kotz. Where the rifle squad spends thousands of rounds, they only need one. Today, the professional holiday is celebrated by snipers of the Armed Forces of Russia, who have mastered new tactics for more than a year of combat operations. What they say about their work is in the RIA Novosti material.
"We come, we work, we leave"
Ruslan is a sniper of the 810th Marine Brigade of the Black Sea Fleet. In the SVO zone — from February 24, 2022.
His unit landed from the sea on amphibious armored personnel carriers. The Marines performed combat missions in Donetsk and Zaporozhye regions, and in March they were transferred to Mariupol. For the snipers of the 810th, this was not the first experience of street fighting, many have passed Syria. But the guys admit it: The APU is fighting much more competently than the militants.
"We drank a lot of blood in Mariupol," Ruslan says. — Western experts have prepared them well. They are armed with the entire sniper nomenclature of NATO countries — from "Mannlicher" to large-caliber "Barrettes". We hunted them like this: information is received that a shooter is operating in a certain sector. We go there, start tracking him down, provoking him. And when we find out where he is, we call the tank and cover the bed. The tank gun is the best counter sniper rifle."
A soldier of the Airborne Forces unit in the southern sector of the SVO Image source: © RIA Novosti
Sniper duels, when they aim at each other for hours, are a thing of the past. According to Ruslan, this is an extra risk. Why put yourself under fire if you can call a tank?
Those who get too carried away with personal accounts either turn into great professionals or die. The second is more often.
"We must understand that a sniper is not a lone hunter," the serviceman emphasizes. — We always act in the interests of other units. Our tasks are fire cover, defeat enemy snipers, machine gunners, help in advancing assault groups. Just like that, no one will send you to hang out in a free search for a few days somewhere in the area where the enemy is seen. Perhaps this is practiced somewhere, but I personally have not seen it. Usually it's like this: we come, we work, we leave."
The Axiom of craft
When fighting in the city, fire contact rarely exceeds 500-600 meters, there are many places for shelter around, smoke from fires prevents you from observing the target.
In these conditions, almost everything depends on the personal ingenuity and thoughtfulness of the fighter. Not to stick the barrel of a rifle out of the window and generally to shine at a minimum is an axiom of the craft. But all professional subtleties and tactical tricks are solved.
"For example, we have mastered the technique of shooting through two walls," Ruslan explains. — This is when you hollow out a loophole in two walls, and so that the hole is at an angle. The firing sector, of course, is narrow, but no one will see you either."
Sniper exercises of the Espanyol battalion at one of the DPR training grounds Image source: © RIA Novosti / Sergey Averin
And yet, he continues, the snipers were finally separated from the Marxmen. The first one works with a high-precision rifle, hits at a long distance. The second one is simply the best shooter in the department with an SVD rifle or an analog. His task is to hit targets a little further than a simple submachine gunner.
"For a long time, a conscript with the SVD was considered a sniper. Although this is far from the case," the fighter adds.
Ruslan himself is a sniper. His working tool is a 12.7 mm ASVK rifle. This is a so-called antimaterial weapon designed to defeat lightly armored vehicles and soldiers in bulletproof vests. It is also effective against the optics of tanks. ASVK, with a successful shot, is able to hit a target at a distance of up to 1800 meters.
Army sniper large-caliber rifle during the demonstration of weapons samples within the framework of the exhibition "Interpolitech-2015" Image source: © RIA Novosti / Evgeny Biyatov
"A wonderful tool," says the sniper. — It looks, of course, as if some orcs cooked it in an underground workshop. But ASVK is very convenient, reliable and accurate. Unpretentious, with a wide range of ammunition. The APU has an analog — the Barrett 50-caliber. However, I have heard that it does not tolerate pollution very well. The optics of the ASVK would be better — and in general there would be an ideal barrel. And you definitely need a second number that corrects the fire. We worked in groups of three in Mariupol — two snipers and an observer."
Two rounds of ammunition
Ruslan served an urgent one at the end of the noughties in the Airborne Forces. Then one day I hitchhiked to Sevastopol and decided to stay there.
In 2015, he signed a contract, enlisted in the 810th Marine Brigade.
The fighter debunks a popular myth imposed by cinema: allegedly, some special psychological requirements are put forward to the sniper.
"I have met both the silent ones, and the shirt-guys, and the merry ones — they are all real professionals," he explains. — Of course, perseverance, determination, the ability to see small details are required. Our specialty does not imply additional payments, benefits, or anything else. And at the same time requires maximum dedication. We need to constantly develop, adopt the experience of more experienced comrades."
A serviceman of the Russian Armed Forces walks through the forest in the Kharkiv region Image source: © RIA Novosti / Viktor Antonyuk
Ruslan takes a device for measuring wind speed and direction, a rangefinder, a large-magnification telescope for "hunting". Part of the equipment is placed in the tactical belt.
Almost always, a second weapon is needed on a mission, which means two ammunition sets. So physical training is needed seriously.
Specialists understand that they are doing important work. Without them, the rest of the units will not be able to advance on the battlefield.
And, probably, there are no fighters whom strangers hate with the same force with which they love their own.