This is the moment the Ukrainian forces blow up a railway bridge to prevent the Russians from advancing in the Luhansk region.

The footage was filmed near the city of Severodonetsk in the easternmost Ukrainian region of Luhansk Oblast.

According to reports, members of the National Guard, the 8th Separate Special Forces Regiment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and the 15th Main Directorate (Glavnoye Upravleniye Ministerstvo Oborony) of the General Staff took part in the destruction of the rail route.

The railway bridge, offering a line between Rubizhne and Severodonetsk, was seized by the Russian forces and destroyed by the Ukrainian military to hinder their advancement.

Rada TV shared the footage with the message: “In order to stop the orcs’ attack in the direction of Severodonetsk and Lysychansk, railway bridges have been destroyed.”

Ukrainian government advisor Anton Herashchenko, 43, said: “The Russian army will probably prioritise capturing Severodonetsk over reaching the administrative borders of the Donetsk region. This is the opinion of analysts at the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

“According to their assessment, the Russians will continue efforts to encircle Severodonetsk and Lysychansk at least from the south, possibly by focusing on cutting off the last highway connecting Severodonetsk and Lysychansk with the rest of Ukraine.

“Unsuccessful attempts by the occupiers to cross the Seversky Donets [river] in the Kremennaya area may shift them further to the east. According to the ISW forecast, Russian forces will likely complete their withdrawal from the vicinity of Kharkiv City.

“In the near future, most likely, a Ukrainian counteroffensive will begin in the Izyum region.”

Russian troops invaded Ukraine on 24th February in what the Kremlin is still calling a “special military operation”. Today marks the 82nd day of the campaign.

From 24th February to 16th May, the total combat losses of Russian troops stand at around 27,700 personnel, according to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

The Ukrainian military also claims that Russia has lost 1,228 tanks, 2,974 armoured fighting vehicles, 577 artillery systems, 195 multiple launch rocket systems, 89 anti-aircraft systems, 200 warplanes, 165 helicopters, 2,101 motor vehicles and fuel tankers, 13 vessels, 427 unmanned aerial vehicles, 42 units of special equipment, and 97 cruise missiles.