This video shows the wreckage of numerous Ukrainian military vehicles after they were allegedly destroyed by invading Russian forces.

The footage was shared by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) of the Russian Federation on Wednesday, 9th March, and obtained by Newsflash.

Zvezda, the Russian state-owned nationwide TV network run by the Russian MoD, accompanied the video with the text: “The Russian Defence Ministry showed footage of military equipment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine destroyed during a special military operation to protect the republics of Donbass.

“In the video you can see Ukrainian equipment destroyed in battles. Many samples were not just disabled, but literally torn to pieces – judging by the nature of the damage, ammunition detonation occurred.

“For example, in the footage there is a tank with a blown-off turret. Moreover, individual elements – for example, a machine-gun belt – rest on tree branches, where they were thrown by the explosion.”

‘Special military operation’ is the term preferred by the Russian government to describe its military intervention in neighbouring Ukraine.

The intervention, which began on 24th February, has widely been dubbed an “invasion” outside Russia.

The first major territorial change registered in the conflict so far has been the occupation of the regional capital Kherson by Russian forces.

The UN has so far confirmed 474 civilian deaths and 861 wounded. However, the real figures are widely believed to be much higher.