A dramatic video doing the rounds on social media appears to show a Russian soldier losing control of a high-powered rotary machine gun designed to be fired from a helicopter but adapted for ground use.
India Today, however, could not independently verify the authenticity of the video.
The viral footage shows the Russian soldier preparing to fire the four-barrel YakB-12.7, which had been bolted onto a ground mount instead of its intended platform, the nose turret of a Soviet-era Mi-24 attack helicopter.
Seconds after the trigger is pulled, the weapon appears to wrench itself loose, swinging violently as soldiers scatter for safety. One soldier standing directly in the line of fire is seen reacting at the last possible moment, narrowly avoiding the gun as it pivots uncontrollably.
There were no official reports of where or when the footage was filmed and if anyone was injured.
A few social media users suggested that the incident took place during a training session involving a Russian mobile fire group tasked with countering drones.
The clip has sparked widespread discussion online because the YakB-12.7 is an aerial weapon engineered to be fired from a helicopter, where its violent recoil is absorbed by a heavily reinforced aircraft mount.
In the video, however, the gun appears to have been adapted for use as a ground-based anti-drone weapon, highlighting the risks of converting such a high-powered aviation gun into a manually operated system.
Capable of firing 4,000 to 5,000 rounds per minute, the YakB-12.7 is a gas-operated, four-barrel Gatling-style machine gun chambered for the 12.7108 mm round used in Soviet heavy machine guns.
Developed during the late Cold War, it was designed for the Mi-24’s chin-mounted turret and fed by an ammunition belt carrying nearly 1,500 rounds.
The viral clip has also sparked a wave of humorous reactions online.
One user referenced the 1985 disco hit by British band Dead or Alive, joking, “You Spin Me Right Round.”
Another user quipped, “Why would you stand right in front of a machine gun like you don’t know where you are… and then suddenly realise, ‘Oh, I’m standing in front of a machine gun.'”
“The other soldier’s reflex is top notch. Both lucky to be alive,” a user posted on X.
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