During World War II, (or the Great Patriotic War, as it is known in Russia), Russian snipers played a large role. It is estimated that these snipers killed or wounded over 40,000 German soldiers during the war.

A film was made about Vasily Grigoryevich Zaitsev, a sniper who fought in the Battle of Stalingrad, called Enemy at the Gates, based on a section in the eponymous book by William Craig which allegedly fictionalizes a duel between Zaitsev and a German sniper. During the battle, Zaitsev killed 242 Germans. While he is arguably the most famous Russian sniper, there were thousands of snipers in the Russian Army. Many women fought as snipers, including Mila Mikhailovna Pavichenko (who killed over 300 German soldiers) and Nina Alexeyevna Lobkovskaya.

Ofyodor Matveyevich Okhlopkov was a famous Russian sniper during World War II.