Russian sniper

Russian sniper

During World War II, (or the Great Patriotic War, as it is known in Russia), Russian snipers played a large role. It is estimated that these snipers killed or wounded over 40,000 German soldiers during the war.

A book and then a film was made about Vasily Alexandrovich Zaitsev, a sniper who fought in the Battle of Stalingrad, called Enemy at the Gates, which fictionalizes a duel between Zaitsev and a German sniper. During the battle, Zaitsev killed over 300 Germans. While he is arguably the most famous Russian sniper, there were thousands of snipers in the Russian Army. Many women fought as snipers, including Mila Mikhailovna Pavichenko (who killed over 300 German soldiers) and Nina Alexeyevna Lobkovskaya.

Other famous Russian snipers of World War II include:

Fyodor Matveyevich Okhlopkov