Helmet-camera footage showing a Russian Su-25 pilot ejecting from his jet at extremely low altitude has stunned viewers, and it is widely described as the first video of its kind. The clip puts the audience directly in the pilot's seat as the aircraft pitches up violently, the canopy is jettisoned and the rocket-assisted ejection fires. Within moments the parachute deploys, and the pilot hits a field hard, while the jet is seen crashing and exploding in the distance. The sequence shows just how fast the K-36 ejection seat works when there is almost no height to spare. In the video, the pilot can then be seen recovering and checking in by radio after landing.

The story behind the footage is not the combat scene many first assumed. When the video began circulating in October 2022, some social media users claimed the jet had been shot down by a Ukrainian missile. However, open-source researchers matched the footage to a June 2022 crash near Belgorod, Russia, and reports indicate the aircraft was on a training flight when it struck a power line. The Russian military said at the time that the pilot was unharmed. The video was released months after the incident through the Fighterbomber channel, which helps explain why the cause was so hotly debated online. What it does show, beyond any argument, is the split-second chain of events that can decide whether a pilot survives a low-altitude emergency.