Dramatic cockpit video is showing a Ukrainian MiG-29 fighter jet taking down a Russian attack drone in broad daylight, and the footage is hard to look away from. The clip captures the launch of an R-73, a short-range, heat-seeking air-to-air missile built in the Soviet era for close-in dogfights, as its contrail streaks across a clear sky toward a small aerial target. Moments later the missile finds its mark, and the drone erupts in smoke and debris, breaking apart high above rural terrain. The video is posted online without full details on when or where it was filmed, so the exact circumstances have not been independently confirmed.

The footage highlights a growing reality of the war, where aging Soviet-designed jets like the MiG-29 are being pushed into a role they were never built for, hunting cheap, slow drones instead of enemy fighters. Ukrainian pilots have previously released similar cockpit videos of MiG-29s downing Shahed-type drones with missiles, though experts have long noted that these jets are far from ideal for the job, partly because of their dated radar and limited ability to spot small targets flying low. The clip has also sparked a familiar debate online, with many viewers praising the visual spectacle while others question whether it makes financial sense to spend an expensive missile on a low-cost drone. Even so, with Russia launching large waves of attack drones, Ukraine appears determined to use every tool it has to keep them from reaching their targets.