These images purport to show Russian artillery units firing on Ukrainian positions during the Kremlin’s so-called “special military operation” in Ukraine.

The images show military vehicles sporting the now infamous letter ‘Z’ driving across a field while towing pieces of artillery.

Soldiers can then be seen deploying the artillery equipment in the field before calibrating them and pointing them at their unseen targets.

They can then be seen opening fire and apparently shelling unseen Ukrainian positions.

The images were obtained from the Russian Ministry of Defence (MoD), which said that they show “the work of artillery units of the Airborne forces during the special military operation”.

From 24th February to 30th May, the total combat losses of Russian troops stand at around 30,350 personnel, according to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

The Ukrainian military also claims that Russia has lost 1,349 tanks, 3,282 armoured fighting vehicles, 643 artillery systems, 205 multiple launch rocket systems, 93 anti-aircraft systems, 207 warplanes, 174 helicopters, 2,258 motor vehicles and fuel tankers, 13 vessels, 507 unmanned aerial vehicles, 48 units of special equipment, and 118 cruise missiles.

The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has now confirmed 8,900 civilian casualties in Ukraine, including 4,074 dead and 4,826 injured. But the OHCHR believes that “the actual figures are considerably higher”.

This is because “receipt of information from some locations where intense hostilities have been going on has been delayed and many reports are still pending corroboration”.

The OHCHR said that information is still lacking regarding, for example, Mariupol, in the Donetsk region, Izium, in the Kharkiv region, and Popasna, in the Luhansk region, where there are allegations of numerous civilian casualties.

Ukrainian officials say that about 20,000 civilians died during the Russian siege of the strategic port city of Mariupol alone, which is now under Russian control after the last remaining Ukrainian forces surrendered after holding out at the Azovstal steelworks for weeks.

Fighting in eastern Ukraine is said to be intense, with Russia making steady but costly gains. The United States is reportedly preparing to send heavy weaponry, including advanced, long-range rocket systems to Ukraine as it steps up its support for the country.