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This is the dramatic moment when a Russian fighter pilot had to jump out of his burning plane just before it crashed and exploded.
Newly released helmet camera footage captures the pilot jumping out of a Su-25 jet as it spirals out of control, believed to be over Belgorod, in Russia, in June.
The plane in question is thought to have snapped a nearby power line, causing one of its tail fins to break off and crash to the ground.
But pro-Ukraine sources claimed it was actually shot.
This is when the pilot of a Russian Su-25 jet was ejected as the plane went up in flames and then crashed back to Earth
The newly released footage is thought to capture a crash that occurred over Belgorod – a region of Russia – in June
Russian war bloggers had reported the crash as it happened, along with images of the wreckage of the plane burning in a field.
They said that “according to preliminary data, the plane hit a power pole.”
But a new video first released on Sunday captures the crash from the pilot’s point of view.
The footage appears to begin just after the plane was hit — either by some sort of anti-aircraft missile or a power line.
The jet starts spinning in the air as the pilot loses control, before the plane spins sideways and rolls upside down.
Midway through the roll, the pilot ejects and catches an amazing glimpse of his own plane as it flies off into the distance.
Parts of the plane break off as it falls and one of the engines catches fire.
Half of the rear upright caudal fin appears to be missing. There are ‘V’ warfares on the hull, and a red ’09’ number on the side.
Online observers believe the plane is likely a Su-25SM aircraft stationed from Russia’s far east that was moved to Ukraine to fight in the war.
Footage shows the pilot (visible in a rear-view mirror, left) losing control of the aircraft at low altitude before pressing the eject button
Video shows the pilot’s parachute deploying before drifting back to Earth and landing in a field near the wreckage of his plane
Pro-Ukrainian sources who shared the footage claimed the plane was shot down, but internet sleuths believe it may have cut a power line
The pilot’s parachute deploys before drifting back to Earth as his jet slams into the ground several hundred yards away and explodes.
It is just the latest embarrassing incident involving one of the Russian fighter jets.
On Sunday, a Su-30 plane participating in a training flight over Irkutsk – in eastern Russia – nosed into the ground, killing both pilots.
Those pilots have since been named Maxim Konyushin, 50 and a renowned test pilot, and Major Viktor Kryukov, 43.
The exact cause of the crash remains a mystery, although information has emerged that both pilots may have had a blackout in the cockpit.
A second plane was sent to make contact with the doomed plane after it failed to respond to calls from the Irkutsk Aviation Plant and started orbiting on autopilot.
However, the plane is said to have circled for ‘a good amount of time’ before it ran out of fuel and the plane crashed to Earth.
The crew of the second plane saw the pilots “hang their heads down, in other words, they both blacked out,” a source at the test plant said.
The insider told SibReal media that shocking security abuses are common at the factory – one of Russia’s main aircraft manufacturers.
Maxim Konyushin, 50 (left), a renowned Russian test pilot and Major Viktor Kryukov, 43 (right) died on Sunday after their Su-30 jet crashed
The pilots were taking the jet on a test flight over the city of Irkutsk, in eastern Russia, when it nosed into the ground and exploded
“Given the quality of the pre-flight and post-flight checks, I’m not at all surprised,” said the source. There were boxes checked but security measures were not properly implemented.
“If both pilots passed out at the same time, there was clearly something wrong with the cabin” [air pressure]’.
Yet another eyewitness disputed that story, saying, “I’ve seen it fly. The plane flew sharply up and then began to fall like a rock.’
Air Force Major Andrei Krasnoperov said there was probably a malfunction in the oxygen in the plane.
But experts quoted by Readovka media disputed that the plane was on autopilot and out of fuel, because the engines were heard to be working when it crashed.
“The pilots did not attempt to straighten the flight line during the crash, confirming the version of at least the unconsciousness of the people on board,” the report said.
This is the extraordinary moment when a Russian Su-34 fighter jet/bomber crashed next to an apartment building in the city of Yeysk, the building being set on fire as the pilots took off (right)
“Combat pilots are required to wear oxygen masks throughout the flight, so a system malfunction may have caused unconsciousness.”
They called for the criminal investigation by the Russian Commission of Inquiry to “examine the details of the accident and establish what exactly happened, as the information currently available does not allow any specific conclusions to be drawn.”
It comes shortly after another Russian fighter jet – a Sukhoi 34 fighter-bomber – dove into an apartment building in the city of Yeysk and exploded, killing at least 13 people.
Ten people burned inside the building, including three children, while another three died jumping from the roof instead of perishing in the fire.
Both pilots ejected safely.
The Russian army said the men were in training when the crash occurred, and denied that some of the deaths were caused by exploding ammunition.
The crash is another humiliating loss to President Putin’s beleaguered air force, which has now suffered 11 non-combat crashes since the start of the war.