This footage shows the Russian military showing off its might in snowy Siberia as fears of an invasion of the Ukraine soar.

The Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation released the footage yesterday (Thursday, 3rd February).

It said in an accompanying statement obtained by Newsflash: “Crews of the S-400 ‘Triumph’ anti-aircraft missile systems of the Central Military District air defence unit repelled a massive missile attack from a mock enemy in Siberia.

“The combat crews of the units of the S-400 ‘Triumph’ air defence system during the tactical exercise marched to a new positional area, where they completed a set of tasks to bring the systems into combat position.

“After that, they searched for and captured targets at a distance of up to 300km, and also performed electronic missile launches to destroy them.

“Having hit the ballistic missiles of a mock enemy, the crews of the S-400 ‘Triumph’ complexes performed an operational change of firing positions.

“In addition, during the exercise, combat crews worked out overcoming the contaminated area.

“About 500 military personnel participated in the combat training event, more than 40 units of military and special equipment were involved.”

The S-400 ‘Triumph’ is a mobile, surface-to-air missile system developed in the 1990s by the Almaz Central Design Bureau for Marine Engineering, headquartered in the Russian capital, Moscow.

Valued at USD 300 million (GBP 221 million) per system, it was described as “one of the best air-defence systems currently made” by The Economist in 2017.

Footage of the military drill came just hours before US officials claimed Russia was planning a “very graphic” fake video as a pretext for invading the Ukraine.