Mikhail Ilyich Surkov ( rus, Михаил Ильич Сурков; 1921 – 1953) was a Soviet

sniper A sniper is a military/paramilitary marksman who engages targets from positions of concealment or at distances exceeding the target's detection capabilities. Snipers generally have specialized training and are equipped with high-precision r ...

in the 4th Rifle Division of the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. He was born in a

Siberia Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a part of ...

n town of Bol'shay Salyr' next to

Krasnoyarsk Krasnoyarsk ( ; rus, Красноя́рск, a=Ru-Красноярск2.ogg, p=krəsnɐˈjarsk) (in semantic translation - Red Ravine City) is the largest city and administrative center of Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia. It is situated along the Yeni ...

and hailed from a family of hunters and fur-trappers. According to some Soviet newspapers, Surkov had 702 confirmed kills during World War II, a total which would make him the most effective sniper of the European conflict.Mark Spicer and Pat Farey, ''Sniping: An Illustrated History.'' Grand Rapids, MI: Zenith, 2009; pg. 129. The top Soviet sniper is officially Ivan Sidorenko, who is credited with 500 confirmed kills, as postwar findings have shown that Surkov's figure very likely only served as propaganda.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Surkov, Mikhail Ilyich 1921 births 1953 deaths Sniper warfare Soviet military snipers Soviet military personnel of World War II Recipients of the Order of Lenin Recipients of the Medal "For Courage" (Russia)