Top Russian Special Forces Sniper and Veteran of Chechnya and Syria Reportedly Killed in Ukraine’s Combat Zone

One of Russia’s most decorated military snipers has been killed while fighting in Ukraine, according to reports by Russian military bloggers cited by Ukrainian journalist Yuriy Butusov on May 18.

“On May 11, in the zone of the ‘special military operation,’ Senior Warrant Officer Vitaliy Mykolayovych Shapovalov, a reconnaissance sniper with Russian Army Special Forces, was killed in action. That very same legendary ‘Ded .’ He was 51 years old,” Russian propagandists wrote in Telegram posts.

Shapovalov, known by the nickname “Ded”, was regarded as one of Russia’s elite snipers and held more than ten state honors from the Kremlin. His death marks the loss of a seasoned combat veteran whose military career spanned multiple wars and campaigns.

According to pro-Russian Telegram channels, the 51-year-old had served in five six-month tours during the Chechen wars and spent two years deployed in Syria.

Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Shapovalov joined frontline operations with Russian forces.

There is no information regarding the location of the sniper’s elimination, but the confirmation came directly from Russian sources.

Earlier, on April 25, Lieutenant General Yaroslav Moskalik, former deputy chief of the Russian General Staff’s Main Operational Directorate, was killed in a car explosion near his residence in Balashikha, Moscow region. According to investigators, the blast was caused by an improvised explosive device.

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