Putin tests new sniper rifle, makes three long-distance 'kill shots', Kremlin claims
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Russian President Vladimir Putin aims a sniper rifle during a visit to the Patriot military exhibition center outside Moscow, Russia. (AP/Sputnik/Kremlin Pool Photo)
Vladimir Putin took time this week to flex his tough guy credentials as he proved himself a deadly killer with Russia’s newest sniper rifle.
The Kremlin claimed the Russian strongman made three "kill shots" — hitting the head, liver and abdomen of a target at 1,968 feet.
Three of his five shots were accurate enough to kill with the Kalashnikov-designed Chukavin sniper’s rifle known as the SVCh-308, it was claimed.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Kremlin claims Putin was able to hit targets 1,968 feet away. (AP/Sputnik/Kremlin Pool Photo)
The other two missed the target.
The president showed himself the ultimate bureaucrat by shooting in his suit and tie while sitting at a desk at a Patriot Park firing range in Moscow region.
He showcased his sniper skills as he blasted Britain over the latest claims that he poisoned his enemies in Salisbury.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The sniper rifle is made by Kalashnikov Concern which was created with the merger in 2013 of two Soviet-era plants — Izhmash and Izhevsk Mechanical Plant.
In the summer Putin posed for a Bear-Grylls-style photo shoot in Siberian mountains.