WATCH brutal blizzard flip truck over in Russia

A wild snowstorm sent a cargo van onto its side as highways shut across Bashkiria

A cargo truck has been filmed violently flipping onto its side during a blizzard in Russia’s Bashkiria Region as powerful winds battered roads in the southern Ural Mountains.

The incident unfolded on the Yuldybaevo-Akyar highway on Wednesday, where fierce gusts overturned an empty Gazelle van, in a viral video shared online.

Another motorist reportedly tried to shield the vehicle from the wind, but the storm proved too strong.

“A friend called me and asked if I could block the wind because he was being blown away,” the driver who filmed the video said. Before he could even finish speaking, the Gazelle had already been toppled onto its side.

The driver escaped without injuries, and passing heavy trucks later helped lift the van back onto its wheels.

Commentators online suggested the accident could have been avoided if the vehicle’s awning or tarpaulin had been removed. “If the wind is that strong and the Gazelle is empty, it’s better to take off the sails,” one user wrote.

READ MORE: Moscow braves record snowfall (PHOTOS, VIDEOS)

Authorities shut multiple highway sections as the blizzard slashed visibility, whipped up snowdrifts and turned roads icy. Drivers were urged to slow down and avoid unnecessary travel.

Severe winter weather also hit neighboring regions, with near-zero visibility reported in Chelyabinsk, a city in Russia’s southern Urals near the border with Kazakhstan, and dangerous conditions spreading across parts of Siberia.