This is the moment pro-Russian troops load a Hyacinth-B towed field gun and fire missiles at Ukrainian targets near the city of Avdiivka.

The People’s Militia of the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) said their troops, in cooperation with Russian units, had encircled the Ukrainian city of Avdiivka, cutting off one of the two supply routes available to the Ukrainian forces.

The militia said: “We have already managed to take the Donetsk-Avdiivka-Konstantinovka highway under fire control, cutting off one of the important supply arteries to the Avdiivka garrison of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.”

After seizing the main highway in the area, the militia is tackling “clusters of militants” in the fields and forests outside Avdiivka.

The People’s Militia are using huge Hyacinth-B towed field guns, designed to suppress and destroy enemy manpower and equipment, and provide effective counter-battery fire.

The pro-Russian unit said they use radar and reconnaissance drones to determine the enemy’s exact position before artillerymen prepare the field cannons.

On 1st June, the militia announced that they had liberated the village of Novoselovka II and seized the nearby highway in the process.

The DPR said: “The village of Novoselovka II was liberated from Ukrainian occupation. The forces of the NM DPR took control of a section of the route, finally cutting off the Avdiivka garrison from one of the two available supply routes.”

Russian troops invaded Ukraine on 24th February in what the Kremlin is still calling a “special military operation”. Today marks the 99th day of the campaign.

From 24th February to 2nd June, the total combat losses of Russian troops stand at around 30,850 personnel, according to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

The Ukrainian military also claims that Russia has lost 1,363 tanks, 3,354 armoured fighting vehicles, 661 artillery systems, 207 multiple launch rocket systems, 95 anti-aircraft systems, 210 warplanes, 175 helicopters, 2,325 motor vehicles and fuel tankers, 13 vessels, 521 unmanned aerial vehicles, 51 units of special equipment, and 120 cruise missiles.

In recent news, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called Russian strikes on a nitric acid tank in the besieged eastern city of Sievierodonetsk “madness”.

Residents of Sievierodonetsk have been warned to remain in bomb shelters and to prepare masks to protect against toxic fumes as the fighting intensifies.

Analysts say up to 70 per cent of the city is now controlled by invading Russian forces, with almost all critical infrastructure and housing destroyed.