This is the moment the Ukrainian Navy personnel exchange fire with Russian warships in the Odessa region and cheer as they apparently destroy one.

The incident was filmed during the defence of the Odessa region in southern Ukraine in the early hours of this morning.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine shared the footage where it quickly racked up 40,000 views in the first hour.

The Ukrainian Armed Forces said: “Today, March 7, 2022, Navy marine units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine defending the Odessa region hit an enemy ship.”

The night footage apparently shows Ukrainian and Russian warships exchanging fire before the glow of a destroyed vessel is seen in the background and the local defenders cheer.

Meanwhile, in the neighbouring Ukrainian region of Mykolaiv Oblast, defending soldiers reportedly found an area abandoned by Russian aggressors after they fled their post and left behind military hardware for their foes to take advantage of.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said on the evening of 6th March: “Mykolaiv region. The paratroopers of the Russian aggressor simply fled. New trophies for our Ukrainian defenders.”

Meanwhile, in the neighbouring region of Kherson Oblast, the Russian Ministry of Defence (MoD) said they have taken control of a Ukrainian military base with tanks, ammo and other “trophies” on the same day.

The MoD claimed on 6th March: “The Ukrainian military left their positions in a hurry, leaving the base with equipment, weapons and ammunition. The base was located on an area of six to seven hectares. Among the trophies found are Ukrainian T-64 and T-80 tanks, armoured personnel carriers, infantry fighting vehicles, and Ural (general purpose) vehicles.

“A few metres from the car park is a large hangar housing an ammunition depot with mines, anti-tank guided missiles, mortar and tank shells, over 4,500 tons of ammunition. Some of the weapons stored on the street are rocket projectiles for multiple rocket launchers.”

The Russian MoD said the facility was probably used to train soldiers as well as house around 4,000 personnel: “Mortar ammunition and high-explosive fragmentation shells were also nearby. Presumably, various units were trained here – marines, sappers, signalmen, tankers and gunners.”