This is the viral moment Russian soldiers parade a Soviet flag during the invaders’ “special military operation” in the sovereign European nation of Ukraine.

The Russian Ministry of Defence (MoD) shared the footage on YouTube today (9th March) where it is going viral with 400,000 views in the first hours.

The MoD said: “The Russian Armed Forces units continue to take control of Ukrainian regions occupied by nationalists during the special military operation.”

In the footage, a column of tanks and armoured vehicles is seen rolling along a rural road with at least one flag of the former Soviet Union on display.

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a “special military operation” to “demilitarise and denazify” Ukraine on 24th February, minutes before missiles rained down on the European country.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy subsequently announced martial law and the general mobilisation of military defence units in the country.

On 27th February, Putin put Russia’s nuclear forces on high alert due to “aggressive statements” from the West, stoking fears of a possible nuclear war.

Putin’s invasion has caused over one million people to flee Ukraine in the first week alone, sparking Europe’s biggest refugee crisis since World War II.

Spanish EU top diplomat Josep Borrell, 74, said: “We must prepare to receive around 5 million people… We must mobilise all the resources of the EU to help those countries receiving people.

“We will need more schools, more reception centres, more of everything.”

Meanwhile, a 40-mile-long Russian military convoy is currently closing in on the Ukrainian capital Kiev in an apparent attempt to overthrow the government, however, it has remained stalled to the north of the city for several days.