Viral Video Captures Terrifying Moment Russian Helicopter Gun Goes Out Of Control

A dramatic video has taken social media by storm, allegedly capturing the terrifying moment a heavy machine gun, originally engineered to be mounted on military helicopters, escapes a Russian soldier's control and wildly sprays live ammunition in all directions.

According to the video shared by War Monitor, the weapon appears to be a YakB-12.7 heavy machine gun, a four-barrel rotary design typically used on Mi-24 attack helicopters. However, in this particular makeshift setup, the massive gun seems to have been bolted onto a truck bed to serve as a ground-based air-defence weapon to counter drones.

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The video shows how fire generated a massive backward impulse, and in a fraction of a second, the gun tore itself free from the gunner's grip, flinging the primary operator out of the truck. A second soldier, standing directly in the line of fire, manages to duck and narrowly escapes the bullets.

As mentioned by several media outlets, the incident appears to have occurred during a Russian military training exercise. However, no official reports regarding casualties, dates, or the exact location of the event have been released. NDTV couldn't independently verify it.

Watch the video here:

Insane video of Russian anti aircraft gunner losing control of a YakB-12.7 heavy machine gun usually attached to a Mi-24 gunship but repurposed to shoot down drones. pic.twitter.com/G2a65yi7Cw

— WarMonitor🇺🇦🇬🇧 (@WarMonitor3) July 12, 2026

Social media reaction

This footage basically captures the torque and severe kickback risks that happen when heavy aircraft-grade weaponry is deployed on unstable ground stands.

While the video has already racked up nearly 8.5 million views on X (formerly Twitter), it has also drawn significant scepticism. A large section of online users has questioned its authenticity, with some flatly calling it an artificial intelligence (AI) generated.

"Why would you get up in the face of the machine gun like you don't know where you are... and then suddenly come to realisation that 'oh I'm in front of a machine gun,'" one user wrote, questioning the actions of the troops involved.

"I've checked. Four rotating barrels. It fires from 4,000 to 5,000 rounds a minute. 12.7 x 108mm (Russian version of America's .50 BMG round). Just one of those rounds kills a man through three feet of cinder blocks. Cover becomes irrelevant," another user noted, highlighting the immense danger of the weapon.

"The gun mount isn't centred on the firing barrel. The barrel that fires is off to the right side of the pivot, so it pulls the gun to the right when it fires. So it's just low IQ, lazy design done without any testing or common sense," a third user stated, explaining the mechanical failure.

"I like that part at 15 seconds where he grabs the barrel and learns a lesson in thermodynamics," another viewer pointed out.