Feral Jundi

      Doug pointed this out to me, and I thought it was interesting.  We found at least three seperate photos from Reuters of Russians carrying this weapon system into Georgia.  It has a range of 400 meters as well.

     How they deploy these things over there, I don’t know.  And I have no clue if these are Spetsnaz or OSNAZ or whatever.  I just thought it was interesting to get a glimpse at what these guys are bringing to the fight.

     I guess the only clue would be how they were used in Chechnya.  So I will hunt around for some articles and see what I can come up with. -Head Jundi

Edit:  I found an outstanding article about Russian Snipers and what the learned in Chechnya and Afghanistan.  The 9x39mm round is the popular round now, and the thing can penetrate like 8mm of armor.

     But it sounds like if these guys were actual snipers, their faces would have been covered.  If anything, these guys are more like designated marksmen of their unit.  I was watching this youtube video and this weapon is very quiet.  But here is the article about Russian Snipers.

     Also, I think a weapon like this could cause a lot of havoc over there.  A silenced weapon (very quiet and not just suppressed) could allow Russia to continue operations during the ceasefire.  And political and military leaders could be the targets.  It is hard to tell though, because it looks like journalists are having a hard time getting in there.  They are also getting shot at by Russians.  And killing and intimidating journalists with a VSS could also be a tactic in Putin’s grand plan there.

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From Wikipedia

VSS Vintorez

Type  Sniper rifle

Place of origin  Flag of Russia Russia

Service history      Used by Spetsnaz, OSNAZ

Production history

Designer  Pyotr Serdyukov

Manufacturer  Tula Arms Plant

Specifications  Weight  2.6 kg

Length  894 mm

Barrel length  200 mm

Cartridge  9x39mm

Action  Gas-operated, rotating bolt

Rate of fire  700 rounds/min

Muzzle velocity  290 m/s

Effective range  400 m

Feed system  10 or 20-round detachable box magazine

Sights  Telescopic sight and Iron sights

The VSS (Russian: Vintovka Snayperskaya Spetsialnaya), “Special Sniper Rifle”, also named Vintorez (Thread Cutter), is a suppressed sniper rifle manufactured by Tula Arms Plant. It is in use by various military and otherwise militant organizations, especially those of former Soviet states.

The VSS Vintorez was designed by TsNIITochMash as a suppressed, flashless sniper rifle. It uses a heavy subsonic 9x39mm cartridge in combination with its integral sound suppressor. The heavy bullet is very effective at penetrating body armor even with its subsonic speed. Its effective range is 400 meters.[1] The VSS is normally used in semi-automatic, but it is capable of automatic fire.

Since the VSS is meant for use in discreet operations, it can be broken down into three parts to be carried in a special 450 x 370 x 140 mm (17.7 x 14.5 x 5.5 inch) briefcase. The briefcase also has space for a PSO-1 scope, a NSPU-3 night vision device, and two magazines.

Russian Troops with the VSS Sniper Rifle in Georgia Below