Pairing snipers with drones has proven an incredibly successful tactic for Ukrainians. Sniper teams use the drones to find targets, then call in artillery or engage the targets with precision fire.
However, the Russian Federation is also a learning organization. The Russian sniper tactics “three tiered long range ambush” used in Chechnya have been rehashed for eastern Ukraine.
Currently both Ukraine and Russia have a “3 Tier” sniper rifle system.
Ukraine: 308 Winchester/7.62×51 largely in an AR-10 configuration, 338 Lapua bolt action rifles, and “The Big Stuff” 375 CheyTac, 50 BMG, 14.5 Soviet in bolt action or single shot configuration.
Russia: 7.62x54r and 7.62×51 (normal snipers/platoon snipers, SVDs and captured AR-10s), 338 Lapua (Sako TRGs, ORSIS, mid-range snipers/company or battalion level), and “The Big Stuff” almost exactly the same as Ukraine (special snipers).
The “traditional engagement ranges” of 300 to 800 meters are essentially not applicable in the conflict at this point as the broad frontage has stabilized. The medium and heavy machine guns on either side, combined with ubiquitous drone support, makes maneuvering to a hide site that close to the target very difficult. This is why the Ukrainian sniper supporters are asking for more 375 CheyTac ammunition, and March Genesis optics. These are the tools necessary to keep the Cadex CDX and M200 rifles in the fight, and there aren’t enough highly accurate long range options on the Russian side to put those snipers at serious risk (at least at this time).
Note, neither side has any open source reporting of 6.5 Creedmoor or other competition oriented cartridge showing up, although I found one ammunition list for donations to Ukraine that included the 6.5 Creedmoor as a line item, so it is possible that there is some limited use by Ukraine.
A big difference in the Ukraine employment is that “sniper squads” of multiple spotter/drone operator/shooter teams are working together organically. A mix of 308, 338, and 375 might be all present in the same squad. Also, the use of suppressors is ubiquitous among Ukrainian sniper systems, even the very big ones. We would normally think of this as a Scout unit with sniper capability operating semi-independently.
The ghillie suit has gone by the wayside as a consequence of both sides having persistent drone coverage. Both sides understand the value of snipers, so looking like a sniper is bad for ones health. Better to look like a normal soldier than a walking bush.
Separating fact from fiction on the Russian sniper operational press releases is impossible. From stories of SVD/Spetsnaz snipers making their way deep into Ukrainian held territory to thinly disguised advertisements for ORSIS rifles, it is a safe assumption that Russia lies. But given the shift for the Ukrainian snipers to prefer the 375 CheyTac platform, there is at least something on the Russian side making life very difficult for 308 and 338 armed Ukrainian snipers.
Wandering Through The Night 