Head camera footage shows the moment a Russian pilot ejected from his fighter jet at a low level over Ukraine, floating to earth by parachute before his jet flies out of control into a field and explodes.
The pilot grunts after making a hard landing in the field, narrowly surviving the parachute opening.
The jet — a Sukhoi SU-25 bomber — had been skimming over the landscape at treetop height. The footage, which was originally uploaded to a Russian military telegram channel, was posted on Twitter by military analyst Rob Lee.
Pilots on both sides in Ukraine often fly perilously close to the ground, making them invisible to enemy radar systems which are usually configured to detect higher flying targets.
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Smoke rises on the outskirts of the city during a Russian missile attack in Kyiv. Reuters -
Workers surround the Monument to the Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred with sandbags against damage from shelling in Mykolaiv. EPA -
Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomes Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev for talks before a meeting between the Russian president and the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi, Russia. AFP -
People take water from a water pump in Kyiv. EPA -
A woman walks past a damaged building in the town of Nova Kakhovka. Reuters -
A woman outside her home, which was destroyed during battles at the start of the conflict, in Yahidne, Chernihiv. Getty Images -
People shelter inside a subway station during a Russian missile attack in Kyiv. Reuters -
Firefighters at the site of a drone attack in Kyiv, Ukraine. AP -
A woman walks past the site of a Russian missile strike in the southern Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv. Reuters -
Rescuer workers at a building destroyed in an attack in Mykolaiv. Reuters -
Parts of a drone lie on a street in Kyiv. Reuters -
A drone flies over the Ukrainian capital during an attack. AFP -
Ukrainian servicemen tow a captured Russian armoured vehicle in Rudneve village, Kharkiv. EPA -
A partially destroyed residential building in Saltivka, in Kharkiv. AP -
Ukrainian servicemen fire a captured Russian howitzer on a front line near Kupyansk city, Kharkiv. EPA -
Ukrainian servicemen near the recently retaken town of Lyman in Donetsk region. AFP -
An officer from a Ukrainian national police emergency demining team prepares to detonate collected anti-tank mines and explosives near Lyman, in the Donetsk region. AFP -
A boy playing on a destroyed Russian tank on display in Kyiv. AFP -
A young couple hiding underground during an air alert in Zaporizhzhia. AFP -
Ukrainian firefighters looking for survivors after a strike in Zaporizhzhia. AFP -
Workers fix a banner reading 'Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson - Russia!' to the State Historical Museum near Red Square in Moscow. AFP -
Residents try to cross a destroyed bridge in the Kharkiv region of Ukraine. AFP -
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Alla, 12, has a swinging time in Balakiya, Ukraine, as life goes on despite the war. Getty Images -
Ukrainian flags in the town square in Balakiya. Getty Images -
A destroyed Russian command centre in Izium, Ukraine. Getty Images -
In what may be a final farewell, young Russian recruits - escorted by their wives - walk to a train station in Volgograd before being sent to war in Ukraine. AP -
Russian recruits board the train to Ukraine in Volgograd. AP -
Ukrainian soliders drive a tank at the recently retaken eastern side of the Oskil River in Kharkiv region, Ukraine. AFP -
Volunteers pass boxes of food aid on a destroyed bridge over the Oskil River. AFP -
Ukrainian soliders rest on an armoured personnel carrier. AFP -
A sign warns of landmines in Izyum, eastern Ukraine. AFP -
This crater was left after a missile strike in the Donetsk region of Ukraine. AFP
The high-risk low flying gives enemy forces on the ground only seconds to react to enemy jets, but also leaves aircraft vulnerable to machinegun fire and shoulder-launched anti-aircraft missiles.
The SU-25 is a rugged jet designed solely for attacking troops and tanks on the ground and bristles with rockets and bombs. Slower than supersonic fighter bomber jets, it is armoured to compensate for what it lacks in speed — the pilot sits in an armoured “bathtub” for protection from ground fire.
It was not clear whether the pilot in this jet was protected from shrapnel after his aircraft was hit, but his quick reflexes undoubtedly saved his life.
Russia suffered another confirmed aviation loss on Sunday when a fighter jet crashed into a residential building near the Siberian city of Irkutsk. There were no immediate reports about casualties on the ground, or the pilot's plight.
