"I'm No Longer the Center?"... Even the World's Top Sniper Sidelined in the Era of Drones

Drones Offer Cost Efficiency and No Human Casualties, with Superior Mobility

Even World-Record-Holding Snipers Relegated to Supporting Drone Operations

As drones are being actively utilized on the battlefield, military snipers, once considered a core force, are being relegated to supporting roles for drones.

A Ukrainian soldier is firing a rifle in a trench on the eastern front line of Kharkiv, Ukraine's second largest city. The photo is not directly related to the content of the article. Photo by Yonhap News.

Recently, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that the role of snipers in the Ukraine war, which has lasted for over four years, has diminished. Drones, now widely used on the battlefield, have taken over traditional sniper tasks such as reconnaissance and targeted strikes, performing these missions with greater field of view and mobility. One advantage of drones is that even if a mission fails, the only loss is several thousand dollars (equivalent to several million won), with no risk to human life. Drones can target enemies hiding around corners of buildings, and drone operators can launch attacks from the safety of a bunker—another significant strength.

WSJ shared the story of Viacheslav Kovalsky (age 60), a sniper from the counterintelligence unit of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU). Kovalsky has not been able to carry out sniper missions for over a year and a half. He has been relegated to a supporting role, assisting drone operators as they move or helping equip drones with bombs. He is known for setting a world record in 2023 by successfully sniping a Russian officer stationed 2.5 miles (about 4 km) away. Kovalsky remarked, “In the past, the sniper was the star and everyone revolved around me, but now everyone revolves around the drone operator,” describing the end of the era of snipers.

There are also cases where snipers have transitioned to become drone operators. Ivanho, a former Ukrainian army sniper who became a drone operator, explained, “It takes three to five minutes for a sniper to spot an enemy and relay the information so our forces can respond with counter-artillery fire, but when a drone operator detects the enemy, the response can be immediate.”

Nevertheless, WSJ added that Western military authorities—including those in the United States and United Kingdom—have not given up on training snipers. Lieutenant Colonel Bonnie L. Wright, spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Defense, emphasized, “Human snipers are a vital asset on the modern battlefield because they cannot be jammed and leave no trace,” adding that sniper training programs continue to be updated in response to the proliferation of drones. Coyote, a Ukrainian sniper commander, also explained, “Unlike drones, which have difficulty operating in cloudy or foggy weather, snipers can carry out their missions in any weather.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.