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[Video below.] A Russian military training exercise ended in a dramatic and potentially deadly mishap after a machine gun operator lost control of his weapon and was hurled from the back of a moving truck, nearly striking his instructor during the incident.

The accident reportedly occurred during an air defense training drill designed to prepare Russian forces to counter the increasing threat posed by Ukrainian drones. Video circulating online shows the gunner operating a mounted heavy machine gun from the rear of a military truck when the weapon’s powerful recoil appears to overwhelm him.

Unable to maintain control, the soldier is violently thrown backward out of the vehicle while still gripping the machine gun. As he falls, the weapon swings wildly, narrowly missing another serviceman who had been standing nearby supervising the exercise.

The instructor quickly scrambles out of the gun’s path as the uncontrolled weapon continues to point in unpredictable directions for a brief moment before the situation is brought under control.

Russia has significantly expanded its air defense training in recent months as Ukraine has increasingly relied on long-range drone attacks to strike military facilities, ammunition depots, oil infrastructure, and other strategic targets deep inside Russian territory.

The growing effectiveness of Ukraine’s drone campaign has forced Russian forces to devote greater attention to defending critical infrastructure and improving the readiness of air defense units. Mobile anti-aircraft teams equipped with heavy machine guns have become an increasingly common component of Russia’s defensive strategy against low-flying drones.

It was not immediately clear whether the gunner or any other personnel involved in the training accident suffered injuries. Russian authorities have not publicly commented on the incident.

WATCH:

{Matzav.com}

Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s office has forcefully denied a report alleging that Israel’s Mossad attempted to recruit him as part of a plot to topple Iran’s regime, dismissing the claims as fabricated and accusing The New York Times of publishing falsehoods for money.

The report, published by The New York Times, claimed that Mossad enlisted Ahmadinejad in a regime-change effort and that then-Mossad chief David Barnea personally met with the former Iranian president in Budapest during the alleged recruitment operation.

In a statement carried by Iran International on Monday, Ahmadinejad’s office ridiculed the allegations, saying The New York Times’ “Hollywood-style claims” did not merit a denial and describing the newspaper as “known for publishing fake news and fabricating lies.”

The statement went further, accusing the newspaper of being willing to print invented stories and fabricated reports in exchange for financial compensation.

Ahmadinejad’s office also dismissed reports that he had been placed under house arrest, insisting that he remains free, continues to be publicly active, and is carrying on with his normal daily activities.

Ahmadinejad served as Iran’s president from 2005 until 2013, a period during which he became known for his hardline Islamist policies. His administration rapidly expanded Iran’s uranium enrichment efforts, brutally cracked down on anti-government demonstrations, repeatedly called for Israel to be wiped off the map, and became internationally notorious for denying the Holocaust.

Shortly before leaving office in 2013, Ahmadinejad declared that denying the Holocaust had been his “proudest moment” as President.

Several years later, in 2019, Ahmadinejad sought to distinguish between opposition to Israel and hostility toward Jews, insisting that he is not an antisemite and is merely opposed to the “Zionist government”.

The former president resurfaced publicly last week when he was seen participating in the funeral procession for Iran’s slain Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, marking his first public appearance in recent days.