MOSCOW, September 1. /TASS/. Russian marksmen are becoming priority targets for enemy forces in the special military operation in Ukraine, as the adversary employs all available means of surveillance and reconnaissance to liquidate them, the commander of a Pacific Fleet mobile heavy sniper unit, who goes by the call sign "Yariy," said.

"We cannot predict what means of surveillance and sniper detection the enemy can use in this direction [of the line of engagement]. There is only one thing that saves us: the farther away you shoot, the safer you will live. <...> A hunt is always on for the sniper. A sniper is a priority target for liquidation, any sniper," Yariy said.

The sharpshooter unit commander also pointed out that the operational combat concept followed by NATO units calls for using tanks to destroy enemy snipers; such cases have been recorded in the special military operation zone. "If the enemy found [one of] our sniper[s], or a group of snipers, a tank would come out and just hit us. This happened in October 2022: My position was discovered and the tank fired at me 19 times; we got out only by chance," the unit commander recalled.