This Russian Ministry of Defence claims this footage shows armoured vehicles belonging to the Kremlin’s forces crossing a river in Ukraine.

The footage shows large Russian military vehicles crossing the river on what appears to be a makeshift bridge set up by soldiers so that large army lorries and armoured personnel vehicles can cross the waterway despite there being no bridge nearby.

It is currently unclear where exactly the footage was shot, but the Russian Ministry of Defence did specify that it took place in Ukraine.

They added that it showed: “Overcoming a water barrier by units of the RF Armed Forces during a special military operation in Ukraine”.

The Russian government refuses to acknowledge that the events in Ukraine are war, and has repeatedly referred to its invasion of its peaceful neighbour as a “special military operation” and a “special operation”. It has also reportedly silenced almost every media organisation in the country that does not follow the Kremlin line by threatening reprisals .

The footage was also reported on by Zvezda, which is a Russian state-owned nationwide TV network run by the Russian Ministry of Defence, and Lenta.ru, which is a Russian-language online newspaper. Based in Moscow, it is owned by Rambler Media Group. Rambler is a Russian search engine and one of the biggest Russian web portals.

Zvezda referred to the fighting as a “special military operation in Ukraine”.

It added: “Russian President Vladimir Putin announced its beginning early in the morning on February 24. The main goal of the operation is the demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine.

“The Ministry of Defense has repeatedly stressed that the Russian military strikes with high-precision weapons exclusively at the military infrastructure of Ukraine.”

And Lenta said: “Footage of a convoy of the Russian Armed Forces crossing a water barrier during a special operation in Ukraine to protect Donbas has been released. The video was published by the Zvezda TV channel with reference to the Russian Ministry of Defense.

“The footage shows how equipment and armoured vehicles with the designations “V” are driving across the river along a pontoon ferry, it is guided by specialists from the pontoon-bridge detachment. The exact date and location of the filming remain undisclosed.

“In addition, the destroyed bridge can be seen in the frames in the distance. There are also areas of the area affected by fires.

“Earlier, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced a meeting of its representatives with UN members on the humanitarian situation in Ukraine. During the meeting, the parties discussed the algorithm of interaction for solving humanitarian problems on the territory of Ukraine, as well as the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics (DPR and LPR).”