This is the stomach-churning moment a Russian free-climber swung from the roof of a 40-storey building with nothing more than a friend's arm to cling on to.

Filmed in the central city of Yekaterinburg, the shocking clip shows the young man dangling over the edge of the skyscraper with his life quite literally hanging in his friend's hands, reports DailyMail.

The star of video is a man who goes by the pseudonym OlegCricket who calls his death-defying hobby 'rooftopping'. His terrifying stunts have seen him build a 100,000-person strong Instagram following, where users regularly post messages of support.

At one point in the breathtaking footage of his Yekaterinburg stunt, Oleg can be seen running from side to side, using the building's facade for traction, reports DailyMail.

Although the video is enough to make most people come down with a sudden burst of vertigo, the daredevil claims he wasn't in fear of his life at any point. 
He added that he had complete faith in his friend Ilya Bagaev not to drop him.

'I was not thinking about fear or any other emotions - there was no time. Most people react - and will react - negatively, but they don't understand the other side of my thinking,' he said.

'They are taught that it's scary and something people are accustomed to, but it's a different philosophy to know what I'm doing,' he added. 

Oleg's death-defying stunts have seen him gain nearly 100,000 followers on Instagram, while his YouTube videos have received millions of hits.

In another video - shot in Moscow - Oleg can be seen hopping between gaps in a rooftop, 30 floors in the air.

The star of video is a man who goes by the pseudonym OlegCricket who calls his hobby 'rooftopping'

Performing such stunts require incredible upper body and mental strength.

Although it is related to free-climbing, rooftopping is actually the practice of taking spectacular photographs while hanging off the edge of skyscrapers, reports DailyMail.

Disguising themselves so they can carry out their daring stunts, the thrill seekers do their best to avoid security and CCTV cameras - photographing the evidence as proof of their antics.