The moment a Russian surface-to-air missile turns and strikes the invading army that launched it has been caught in dramatic battlefield footage.
A short clip captured the moment pro-Russian separatists launched a rocket at Ukrainian troops in the city of Alchevsk, Luhansk in the early hours of Friday morning.
The bizarre mid-air malfunction sees the missile fail as it ascends in the night sky before looping back on itself and pummelling positions held by Vladimir Putin's troops.
Alchevsk is one of several cities making up the conflict's new frontline, where Ukrainian troops are fiercely defending their land from pro-Russian separatists and the Kremlin's military.
Russian troops had reportedly launched the missile in an attempt to knock a Ukrainian aircraft out of the sky, according to a video posted on the Face of War Telegram channel.
It's thought the missile went haywire due to a malfunction in its internal GPS tracking system.
As the missile hits its origin point, the dark night lights up as the rocket explodes in bright flashes.
The botched attack also lead to a blaze tearing through nearby homes, local media has reported.
It's been suggested that Russia's own defence system may have been the reason for the botched launch.
Senior Fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute Rob Lee commented about the video on Twitter.
He said: "This is reportedly footage of a failed Russian air defense system missile launch from Alchevsk, Luhansk Oblast."
It's unknown which anti-air missile system - which can cost a staggering £245million per unit - backfired.
The number of fatalities and injuries are yet to be revealed.
Russian army equipment hasn't been living up to its reputation since the start of the conflict, with several military blunders seen over the past few weeks.
Hours ago, a Russian military aircraft en route to the Ukrainian battlefield burst into flames before plunging to the ground near Moscow.
The cargo plane had taken off again after refuelling when it crashed into a field close to the city of Ryazan, situated around 125miles south of the capital.
It was already on fire before it landed and then burst into a massive ball of flames on the ground.
A column of smoke was visible near the Mikhailovsky highway.
Three on board the plane were killed, and at least six people were wounded who were rushed to hospital, it is reported, while a fourth later died.
And last week a Kremlin fighter jet also crashed in a burning wreck close to the Ukrainian border.
A video showed the burned wreckage of the fighter in Russia's Belgorod region which shares frontiers with the Luhansk, Kharkiv and Sumy regions of Ukraine.
The cause of the crash was not immediately clear amid suspicions it could have been shot down and the crash site is some 32 miles from the Ukrainian border.
The pilot safely ejected, according to Russian reports, which denied it was hit by Ukraine.
The Russian Western military district said the Su-25 was on a training flight rather than a combat mission and suggested a “technical malfunction” as a possible cause.
