MOSCOW, October 21. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin tried out a Dragunov sniper rifle while at a shooting range outside Ryazan on Thursday and hit the target, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Friday.

However, he refused to say how many rounds the Russian president had fired. "There was the sound of a gong (the indication of hits on targets - TASS), gongs were heard, but I cannot say how many times," Peskov said.

The presidential spokesman refuted allegations that Putin’s practice shooting had something to do with the special military operation. "Putin has quite often picked up weapons," Peskov noted, describing the practice as "quite normal," since the president "has some preferences in the latest models [of weapons]."

On Thursday, Russia’s commander-in-chief inspected the training of newly-mobilized Russian servicemen at a Western Military District military ground in the Ryazan Region. While at the shooting range, Putin inspected the firing practice, then donned protective goggles and headphones and fired several rounds from a sniper’s nest, taking the prone position.