Russia has said that it has destroyed a Ukrainian military command post using howitzers.

The footage purports to show Russian soldiers firing rounds of artillery at Ukrainian positions.

The images show soldiers loading a field gun with ordnance and repeatedly firing. The footage then cuts to explosions which reportedly show the Ukrainian positions being hit.

Soldiers can then be seen loading howitzers with ordnance once again, with the footage then cutting to further explosions in a snowy, forested area in the distance.

The images were obtained from the Russian Ministry of Defence (MoD) on Friday, 3rd March, along with a statement claiming: “Artillery units of the Airborne Forces, during the special military operation, continue to carry out fire missions to destroy the artillery systems of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, to destroy defensive structures, to suppress control points, to destroy fire weapons and other weapons, and the military equipment and manpower of the enemy.

“Every day, artillery crews of the Airborne Forces conduct counter-battery combat with the enemy and support the offensive of air assault and paratrooper units.

“The crews of ‘Giatsint-B’ and ‘Msta-B’ artillery guns of the Airborne Forces destroyed the closed firing positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as well as the command post of one of the battalions.

“In the course of carrying out combat missions, crews of towed howitzers use high-explosive, high-explosive fragmentation, as well as precision-guided ammunition, which allows maximum damage to be inflicted on fortifications, deep concrete fortifications, armoured vehicles and enemy manpower at a distance of up to 29 kilometres.”

We have not been able to independently verify the claims or the footage.

Russia invaded Ukraine on 24th February 2022 in what the Kremlin is still calling a “special military operation”. Today marks the 373rd day of the full-scale war.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that between 24th February 2022 and 3rd March 2023, Russia had lost about 151,370 personnel, 3,405 tanks, 6,673 armoured combat vehicles, 2,402 artillery units, 484 multiple launch rocket systems, 247 air defence systems, 301 warplanes, 289 helicopters, 2,061 drones, 873 cruise missiles, 18 warships, 5,281 motor vehicles and fuel tankers, and 230 units of special equipment.

Russia has claimed that its casualties have been much lower but provides infrequent updates on its latest figures.

The United States is reportedly set to announce a new package of military aid made up primarily of ammunition and worth USD 400 million for Ukraine, today, Friday, 3rd March.

The US is also reportedly hosting exercises geared towards war planning in Germany for Ukrainian officers to assist them regarding the battlefield decisions they will have to make in the next phase of the war.

US President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz are set to meet in Washington today to discuss aid for Ukraine, with one senior US administration official saying that they may also discuss concerns that Beijing might provide military aid to Russia.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov have met for the first time since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Blinken told Lavrov to “end this war of aggression”, adding in a briefing after the talks that he had also said that Russia needs to reconsider its “irresponsible decision” and “engage in meaningful diplomacy that can produce a just and lasting peace”.

He also said that he told Lavrov that the US would push for the war in Ukraine to end with diplomatic means that Ukraine agreed to.

Ukrainian forces are reportedly continuing to put up fierce resistance in the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, which is under constant attack from Russian forces.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of Russia’s notorious mercenary Wagner group, has released images that he claims show his forces in Bakhmut. The images show uniformed men lifting the Wagner banner on top of a severely damaged building.

Russia has attacked a five-storey apartment block in the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, killing four people and injuring eight others.

Russia has claimed that it is under attack from “terrorists” after reports emerged about alleged firefights in the Bryansk and Kursk regions. Russian media has said that the alleged firefights were the work of Ukrainian “sabotage groups”.

Ukraine has responded by calling the reports a “false flag” attack geared towards discrediting the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin is reportedly planning to hold a meeting of the Security Council today.