The Ghosts of Bakhmut: A closer look at Ukraine’s talented elite sniper unit

In October 2023, a Ukrainian sniper unit operating in Bakhmut achieved significant success in targeting high-value objectives within the devastated city. The unit's commander reported to the media that his soldiers have become highly proficient in their roles.

Known as the Ghosts of Bakhmut, this unit of skilled soldiers was tasked with what may be the most grueling and difficult job of the war according to the unit’s commander.  

Business Insider profiled the Ghosts of Bakhmut in an article on their activities and spoke with the group’s commander, known only by the call sign Ghost, about their fight. 

Ghost explained that it was patriotism fuelling his soldiers and claimed that at the time, his unit had killed a total of 558 Russian soldiers, adding that he was personally responsible for 118 of those kills. 

Business Insider was not able to confirm the kills claimed by Ghost, but if the amount is correct, it would mean the Ghosts of Bakhmut eliminated a battalion’s worth of soldiers. 

"It's nothing like American films that romanticize the work of snipers and show it as very glamorous," Ghost told Business Insider’s Alia Shoaib about the job of an elite sniper. 

“We work 24 hours a day, we don't differentiate between day or night,” Ghost continued. “There are no weekends… you're totally exhausted,” the elite sniper commander added. 

Ghost explained that the job squeezed everything out of his soldiers and as a result, the troops fighting under his commander tended to return from a mission a complete mess. 

The elite sniper team takes its name from their commander and they generally use their time on the battlefield to hunt for high-value Russian targets, though any soldier will do. 

The elite snipers like to strike targets that are about 230 feet away but they have racked up some impressive long-range kills, including a recent one at a distance of 1.5 miles. 

However, the Ghosts of Bakhmut weren't just sent into the city to hunt. They also formed the tip of an assault spear that helps to clear out important zones before the infantry arrive. 

"We are thrown into the most hot spots," Ghost told Business Insider. "When there is an offensive or a counteroffensive planned, our task is to go in first and clear the area."

The sniper unit’s primary weapon of choice is the American Barrett M107A1 but is also known to use the Barrett MRAD as well as Ukraine’s UAR-10 and the Snipex Alligator.

Ghost would not reveal the number of soldiers in his unit but did hint that it had dozens of troops. In July 2023, a BBC News exposé on the ghosts reported the unit had 20 soldiers at the time.

“One small team of snipers won't win this war, or even take back Bakhmut,” wrote BBC Defence Correspondent Jonathan Beale. “But they believe they're having an impact.” 

Business Insider noted that members of the group went through an intensive 10-month training regime before their skills were unleashed against Russian soldiers in Bakhmut. 

However, it isn’t the ability to shoot that Ghost values on the battlefield, it’s the ability to survive while on a mission. “You can shoot perfectly well, but if you can't survive, there is no value in that," the sniper commander explained. 

Ghost handpicked the members of his unit and revealed the qualities needed for a good sniper were the ability to remain resilient and focused. Patriotism also helped out a lot. 

"One has to be sturdy, one has to be very resilient, very focused, psychologically very resilient, and obviously patriotic. This aspect of patriotism is very important because a person has to understand what he or she is doing it for,” Ghost explained. 

Only Ghost and one other member of his unit had been wounded while on mission as of October 2023. An exploding mine sent the commander to the hospital for twelve days but he survived the injury and made it back to his team. 

Ghost attributed the success of his unit to their self-sufficiency and tight-knit community. The soldiers of Ghost’s unit always stick together while on a mission and it is this aspect that has kept all of them alive according to the commander. 

"I am absolutely confident in each and every man who works with me. Ghost explained. “We are not relying on anyone outside of our unit. Which is probably why we are all still alive and together,” the sniper commander added. 

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