Ukrainians kill 'best' Russian sniper

Vitaly Nikolaevich Shapovalov, a senior officer of the Russian Armed Forces, was killed by the Ukrainian Armed Forces on May 11.

Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has lost one of his most famous snipers after he was killed in the war in Ukraine.

Senior Guards officer Vitaly Shapovalov, 51, has been described as a “sniping legend” after his death. The soldier died in the town of Chasiv Yar, which is located in the Donetsk region. It remains unclear how he died.

The 51-year-old officer had been honored with a number of state decorations in the past by Putin himself, writes themirror.

On May 11, Second Lieutenant Vitaly Nikolaevich Shapovalov, 51 years old, a reconnaissance sniper of the Russian army special forces, died during a combat mission. As a man with 20 years of experience in combat and having appeared many times in the Middle East and Africa,... pic.twitter.com/zQM81L7ThT

— Uncensored News (@uncensorednews9) May 19, 2025

Shapovalov held the rank of senior officer, had participated in military campaigns in Chechnya (five tours of service of six months each) and had spent two years in Syria.

After the start of the war in Ukraine, the Russian soldier continued his service in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.

On May 11 of this year, he was killed "while performing a combat duty."

Otherwise, Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to posthumously award him the title Hero of Russia, the highest state honor. /Telegraph/