Taiga Sniper

**Key Features** | »Scoped Mosin-Nagant M1891/1930 rifle (from home)»Precision optical scope (smudged)»Assortment of plastic foliage»Copy of *"Comrades at arms!"* (to read while waiting)»Bottle of vodka they shot in school

*"Head or heart? I can do either!"*

- Taiga Sniper
## Tactical Analysis

* **I can't miss**: Armed with old but accurate Mosin Nagant bolt action rifles, Taiga Snipers are among the some of the deadliest snipers in the world. They are able to efficiently dispatch infantry from long range, although their rifles are slow to reload.

* **Hunting lure**: In a pinch, the Sniper can take one of her spare coats and fill it with sticks and grass, and when propped up, can make a passable decoy. In theory, this can fool an opponent into firing at the wrong target, leaving the Sniper to retaliate in safety.

* **Shh! I can't be seen!**: Unfortunately, Mosin Nagant rifles are useless against vehicles, and Taiga Snipers have no other weapons to speak of. As such, in the event that a Taiga Sniper runs into a vehicle, she can only hope that she isn't spotted or accidentally run over.

* **Maybe left-handed**: A few veteran snipers can be persuaded to use the SVD-154, the same weapon Natasha uses. When used alongside dense metal core full-metal jacket rounds, it is possible to score one-shot-multiple-kill hits even over extreme distances.

## Operational History

The Soviets are rarely known for their stealth or subtlety. It therefore is something of a surprise that the Soviet Union is the source of some of the best snipers in the world. Soviet High Command can be accused of many things (although not to their faces of course), however, squandering talent is not one of them.

With much of the Soviet Union still wild and untamed tundra, being able to put a rifle round through a bear's skull is often a necessary skill, for men and women alike. The shortage of ammunition due to the recent wars has only encouraged locals of these areas to be precise in placing their shots. It seemed only natural that the Soviet high command should have a relatively small number of highly skilled sharpshooters on hand to take out enemy officers.

That small number of **Taiga** **Snipers**, so named as most of them are natives of the northern taigas, was put to the test in the latter days of World War II. When the Soviets lost the momentum of their steamroll through Europe, and the tides began to turn, snipers came into their own. As the Allied forces began to push back, Snipers aimed to disrupt their movements at every turn. The Second Battle of Białystok proved pivotal, as Allied forces lost man after man to a handful of brave snipers.

In the aftermath of the Second World War, Soviet high command decided that snipers had proven their worth and the academy at Yaroslavl was founded. Many a woman has proven to be unusually skilled with the rifle, and as such can choose to be sent to *"Sniper School"* instead of Conscript boot camp. Here they spend long days and nights learning to use their rifles to the fullest.

It is rumoured that the final test involves hitting a vodka bottle at a range of nearly 1,000 metres; a feat made even more impressive by the fact that the soon-to-be sniper must empty the vodka bottle by herself just before the test. Snipers are also trained in the arts of camouflage, and are equipped with a backpack full of the latest, and most advanced mock foilage that the Union can produce.

It is said that Taiga Snipers are so inventive in their disguises that the average Peacekeeper couldn't tell the difference between a real tree, and a sniper dressed with cardboard, Duckov tape, and some fake branches, even if the Peacekeeper was leaning on them! Of course, it should be noted that sophisticated thermal sensors and well trained animal noses can reveal a hidden sniper, even if camouflaged. Snipers have also taken to the tactic of using simple decoys to bait enemy sniper fire; while they will not stand up to close observation, it can be hard for an enemy sniper to distinguish between a propped up coat and a genuine person from several hundred metres away, a fact that has cost many Allied snipers their lives.

The training regimen of snipers makes them more costly to field than most other conscripted infantry in the Soviet's ranks. Additionally, they are not equipped to handle tanks, and most snipers are unable to emulate Natasha's skill in aiming precisely for vehicle weak spots and vision slits. Nevertheless, their great range, usefulness against infantry, and ability to remain undetected makes them a worthy addition to the Red Army.

Thankfully for the enemies of Russia, snipers remain relatively few in number, and were not fully fielded in the last war due to most being on deep infiltration missions to try and kill Allied top brass. However, increased training uptake has allowed these fearsome sharpshooters to be released to frontline commanders. The only sniper known to be active around the globe was Natasha, and the academy has posters of her hanging on every wall to inspire the snipers of tomorrow.

## Just the Stats

 **Armour Type** | Infantry

 **Kill Reward** | 3200

 **DPS** | 30