Targets with a size of 15 to 75 cm, distance from 300 to 980 m, plus dense shooting positions and a immense time pressure. The Lithuanians invited snipers to participate in the global “Sniper Fest” shooting competition. Poland was represented by soldiers from 1st Lęborski Battalion of Mechanized and 15th Giżycka Brigade of Mechanized. The Danish won the title of champion.
Sniper Fest 2025 Rukla, Lithuania
For the fifteenth time, at the Rukle Police Training Centre in Lithuania, the Sniper Fest shooting competition (1–4 July) was organized. This year, as many as 102 teams (shooter and spotter, or observer) from 15 countries participated. The hosts who exhibited 80 couples from various uniformed services prevailed. In addition, abroad soldiers, including Americans, Canadians, Croats, Danes, Swedes, Czechs, were active in shooting tasks. Germany and Poles.
The Polish military represented 2 teams: from the 1st Lęborski Battalion of Mechanized and 15th Giżycka Brigade of Mechanized, which ranked 24th and 33rd respectively in the general classification.
Danish (again) best
Top scorer title ‘Sniper Fest’ another year was defended by the Danish, behind which 2 Lithuanian teams placed on the podium. – The competition was very fierce, at the same time the difference in levels could be noticed. The Danish and Canadians who took sixth place are a completely different league both in terms of the skills and equipment they have. The Swedes (fourth place) did very well. Croatia set up the officers themselves, while in another teams specified as ours, there were non-commissioned officers and ranks," says spit. Maciej of 1 lbz.
The competitions were demanding and, as their participants emphasize, allowed exchanging experience and acquiring fresh skills. “For the first time we had to do tasks under specified large force of time,” the platoon admits. – For each phase we had 2–4 minutes, at that time we had to run to the station, search and find the targets and just give the shot. In addition, we had to plan on whether it would be more profitable to shoot closer, but lower-pointed goals, whether we should focus on the harder and number on getting more points – he adds.
One of the stages assumed that the players were moving out of the waiting place, crossing respective twelve meters and entering the building from 2 sides without seeing each other. We took guns, tripods, weapon cushions, ammunition to the station. We were in position, We picked targets, we shot.. All in just a fewer 100 seconds – the players report. Another phase besides required moving respective twelve meters between different positions. “We utilized a weapon with a four-tax lock, so in practice we had very small time to just shoot”, explains soldiers 1 lbz.
Sniper Fest 2025 Rukla, Lithuania
Shooting from inside the transporter
The targets ranged from 15 to 75 cm, with the largest ones mostly obscured and protruding the "head" itself. Snipers worked at a distance. 300 to 980 m. Soldiers from Poland admit that the most hard was to search for and remember goals which they had to offend in the order given to the judge. Another obstacle was shooting positions – players aimed at e.g. from the interior of a tilted vehicle or the wreckage of a caterpillar transporter, lying on sharp stones, etc.
The shooting tasks were short, but very intense. But the full competition required large endurance and patience from the participants. On the second day, they were at the camp from 6 to 23. Most of that time they spent in full sunlight, waiting for their turn in a designated 20 by 20 metre zone. It wasn't easy, but we brought with us a immense baggage of experience. After the first day, we were in second place, then it got harder and harder. Analyzing everything, I think that present we would approach most stages differently. So it was a very valuable lesson for us and a motivation for further improvement – summarizes the representatives of the 1st Lęborian Mechanized Battalion.
Nesuprant, or organizational misunderstandings
"Sniper Fest 2025" was the fifteenth edition of the Lithuanian competitions, which, despite specified experience, did not avoid certain organizational errors. The biggest problem was the language barrier. The briefings were conducted in Lithuanian, the translator translated it into English, but it was possible to catch that the hosts received more information – she estimates. Adam from the Lemborian team. “In addition, cards with messages in English were displayed in front of shooting stations, which can be expected at a given stage, and on the place it turned out that, for example, the targets that were to be on the right side were on the left”, he added.
– any bands, specified as Czechs, did not know English as well as we did, so we tried to aid them. In this way we could trust on any judges who spoke Polish and sometimes dispel our doubts. The Spanish, on the another hand, had already resigned on the first day through the language barrier. They entered the post and stated that they did not realize anything – he recalls.
Besides these inconveniences, 1 lbz soldiers are very affirmative about the full event.
