Rare Cockpit Video Shows Ukrainian Su-25 Destroyed in Seconds

Thomas Newdick, an author for the American defense outlet The War Zone (TWZ), commented on what he described as "gut-wrenching” first-person footage capturing the moment a Ukrainian Su-25 attack aircraft was shot down by a Russian R-37M missile.

"The footage is a sobering reminder of the huge risks faced by aircrew in some of the most lethal airspace in history,” the publication states.

How the Footage Was Recorded

According to the analyst, the video was most likely recorded by a GoPro camera mounted under the right wing of the Su-25.

"The first indication that the Frogfoot has been hit is a flash and a shower of sparks, and the suggestion that the cockpit canopy may have been partly torn away. Then, one of its external fuel tanks is seen breaking away. The aircraft starts to cartwheel through the sky, its fuselage clearly ripped open, evidenced by the exposed main landing gear," Newdick writes.

Aircraft Breakup Captured on Camera

The wing-mounted camera continues to record the aircraft's destruction, including the forward section of the fuselage and the cockpit, now separated from the main body, which is engulfed in flames.

"The wing spirals to the ground, with the sequence ending with a black column of smoke in the near distance," the analyst notes.

Seconds That Decided the Outcome

Newdick emphasizes that less than twenty seconds passed between the first visible signs of impact and the moment the wing hit the ground, which, in his words, demonstrates just how quickly the pilot's fate was sealed.

He recalls that in one of its official statements, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported the downing of a Ukrainian Su-25 near the settlement of Novotroitskoye in the Donetsk People's Republic.

Earlier, the Western magazine Military Watch Magazine reported that on December 8, 2025, the Russian Armed Forces destroyed one of Ukraine's most indispensable fighter aircraft, the Su-27.