Donated Long-Range Rifle Enhances Ukraine’s Airborne Snipers Ability to Strike Deep

Volunteers from the “Vengeance Guard” project, Yury Chornomorets and Dmytro Batyshchev, have handed over a long-range “Chernivtsi-Ashdod” sniper rifle, named after the two cities in Ukraine and Israel, to paratroopers of Ukraine’s Airborne Assault Forces.

The rifle – a .338 (8.6 mm)-caliber Ruger – was handed over on May 28 in Kyiv and for use by the 8th Separate Rifle Battalion.

The Vengeance Guard project allows communities across Ukraine and abroad to sponsor sniper rifle systems by raising funds not only for the rifles but also for essential attachments such as scopes, bipods, and suppressors.

“This time, the rifle and scope were purchased by Mr. Ihor from Israel,” said Batyshchev. “This is the first rifle in the project with a dual name. Chernivtsi is a special city for him, and naming the rifle after both Chernivtsi and Ashdod reflects a unique connection with Ukraine – his idea.”

The volunteers hoped this gesture would inspire Ukrainians abroad to support the Ukrainian Armed Forces (AFU). “Those who left but still feel connected can help our snipers in this fight for life,” they said.

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Russia has been waging a full-scale war of aggression against Ukraine since 2022 and so far all attempts at negotiations have failed to end the conflict.

Kyiv Post also spoke to a female sniper with the call sign Silver, who accepted the rifle along with her team.

Silver began sniping at the onset of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. “After Bakhmut, I trained further on .338-caliber rifles and now work with multiple calibers,” she said. “The .338 gives us more range flexibility depending on the terrain.”

She described the rifle as easy to handle, with manageable recoil. “The hardest part is the wind, but I’m getting better with every mission,” she said. “This is the best gift possible. We’re deeply grateful.”

Since its launch in May 2023, the Vengeance Guard project has seen participation from 27 Ukrainian cities and one village. Chornomorets, a former sniper with the AFU and now a military volunteer, has helped deliver over 400 sniper systems to Ukrainian forces through the scheme.

“A .338 Ruger, in skilled hands, can strike at 1,900 to 2,000 meters [6,200-6,500 feet],” Chornomorets said.

On Independence Day in 2024, as Kyiv Post reported at the time , volunteers from the Vengeance Guard handed over the “Okhtyrka” rifle to the 27th Pechersk Brigade of Ukraine’s National Guard, commanded by renowned sniper and war veteran Serhiy Pozniak. Despite losing a leg in combat, Pozniak returned to the front and continues to support fellow veterans.

Earlier, the “Mykolaiv” rifle was given to record-holding sniper Vyacheslav Kovalsky, and the “Vovchansk” rifle went to a female sniper immediately after her discharge from hospital She returned to the Kharkiv front line where her unit awaited sniper support.

“The editorial office of Kyiv Post became a kind of ‘godfather’ of the Vovchansk rifle... After it published its piece, the city council of Vovchansk offered us support,” Batyshchev said back then.