Russian Pilot Ejects From Su-25 Fighter Jet Before Crash: Viral Video

A video of a pilot reportedly ejecting from a Russian Su-25 jet before it crashes to the ground has gone viral on social media.

The clip, posted on Sunday by Twitter user OSINTtechnical, the co-host of the OSINT (open-source intelligence) Bunker podcast according to their Twitter bio, has so far been viewed more than 1.4 million times.

The clip shows the moment the jet is struck, according to OSINTtechnical, and the pilot ejects to quickly land in an empty field as the aircraft crashes and explodes.

"A Russian Su-25 flying at low level gets hit by a Ukrainian SAM, the pilots helmet cam captures his ejection and landing," the Twitter user wrote as a caption.

The video footage is shot from the pilot's helmet camera. As the pilot ejects, a parachute can be seen as the aircraft crashes into a field.

The pilot appears to land safely, and a cloud of smoke is then seen rising into the sky from the crash site.

Newsweek has not been able to independently confirm verify when the incident occurred or the exact location of the crash.

A Russian AVIA.Pro report said the footage was from June. The report also said the aircraft got caught in an electrical transmission line, which is what caused it to crash—not being struck by a Ukrainian SAM.

However, Ukrainian outlet The Ukrainian military portal said that the aircraft was shot down.

Newsweek has contacted Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Over the weekend, Ukraine also had success in defending against Russia's use of Iranian-produced Shahed-136 drones, according to Ukrainian military leaders.

As Ukraine's military receives equipment and weapons from its allies, including the U.S and U.K, Russia has turned to Iran for support.

Russia appeared to lock down a deal with Iran to receive new drones and missiles aimed at blunting Ukraine's military power. However, 16 of the powerful Shahed-136 drones were shot down by Ukrainian forces on Saturday, according to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

"Sixteen unmanned-[kamikaze] 'Shaed-136' were shot down," the general staff wrote in a translated Facebook post. "On the night of October 23, Russian invaders have already 'traditionally' attacked the south of the country with striking drones-Kamikaze."

Eleven of the drones were knocked out in the country's Mykolaiv region, near the Black Sea.

The other drones were shot down by other Ukrainian troops, though the General Staff did not specify exactly where those drones were sent to attack. Two of the drones managed to "break through" from the south and were destroyed by the eastern and central air command, the general staff said.

In addition to the Shahed-136 drones, Russia is also set to receive missiles as part of a weapons package from Iran. Iran has appeared to agree to send Russia powerful Zolfaghar and Fateh-110 missiles, which could compete with M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) sent to Ukraine by the U.S.

Iranian missiles have some advantages over HIMARS such has having a longer range. HIMARS, however, have better precision.