Int'l snipers compete for top prize in competition in Xinjiang

Professional snipers from over 20 countries are competing against each other in an international sniper shooting competition in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in northwest China.

The competition, "Fengren (Sharp Blade)-2025" opened on Tuesday in Urumqi. Participants competed against each other around four different projects on Friday, the fourth day of the event.

The project "Attack while crossing the river" simulates the battlefield situation where the snipers hide and quickly snipe at the group targets when the terrorists land on the beach and have not yet gained a firm foothold. As a subject set up for the first time in the competition, the team members need to shoot five targets within 30 seconds.

"It is mainly a psychological test, actually a challenge for yourself. The time is relatively short, and targets have different shooting distances. This means that if you make a mistake, it may affect the number of bullets that hit," said Kang Kaining, a competitor from the Chinese Armed Police Force.

Another project, "City key point control and sniping" simulates the city control and defense combat scenario, requiring the sniper teams to covertly occupy the city's high-rise buildings, set up temporary sniper positions, and quickly search and attack incoming targets. The Uzbek team won full marks in this contest with their stable performance.

Other projects include the reconnaissance and rapid sniping of multiple targets coming from a long distance, requiring close cooperation among members of the sniper team. Two team members have to shoot at different moving targets, each randomly displayed for 30 seconds, at a distance of 100 to 700 meters.

"What's difficult in this subject is that the targets appear in different positions, which makes it very hard to find the targets. Secondly, the shooting distance is uncertain, which requires the shooter to quickly measure the distance and then select the scale. Thirdly, the shooting position is on the fifth floor of the building, posing a higher demand on the sniper's shooting gesture," said Meng Qingfeng, a member of the competition's judgment planning group.

Int'l snipers compete for top prize in competition in Xinjiang

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that Russia holds the strategic initiative along the entire front lines and the goals of the country's special military operation in Ukraine will be achieved.

"The past year has been an important milestone in fulfilling the tasks of the special military operation," Putin said while addressing an expanded meeting of the Russian Defense Ministry.

Putin underscored that Russia has the capability to accelerate its offensive pace, adding that Russia's task of expanding the security buffer zone will be fulfilled, and the core goals of the operation will be realized.

"This year alone, more than 300 settlements have been liberated, including major cities that the enemy had turned into fortified strongholds equipped with long-term defensive structures," the Russian leader said.

He said that the Russian military currently holds the strategic initiative along the entire Russia-Ukraine conflict front and is defeating Ukrainian forces, including elite Ukrainian units trained in the West.

Russia is currently seeking mutually beneficial and fair cooperation with the United States and European countries, Putin said.

Putin rejected claims portraying Russia as a threat to European nations, saying that such narratives are unfounded and fabricated.

Putin also announced that several submarines and surface ships have been commissioned into the Russian Navy this year, while the "Oreshnik" missile complex will enter combat duty by the end of 2025.

Russian military holds strategic initiative along entire Russia-Ukraine conflict front: Putin