Some poorly trained Russian mortarmen fail to perform one of the most basic procedures when setting up a mortar firing point: check mask and overhead clearance, which is essentially making sure there are no obstructions in the immediate path of your munition.

The first round fired strikes a tree branch directly above the gun system and actually detonates in the canopy. Branches rain down on them, but luckily they were not hit by any of the round's steel fragmentation.

About the Author

Will Killmore

Will Killmore is a US Army combat infantry veteran and Purple Heart recipient. He has deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan with the 172nd Stryker Brigade and 173rd Airborne Brigade. Following his time in service, he successfully pursued a certificate of journalism and has been a blogger for Funker530 since 2014. Follow Will’s bad takes on Twitter