Russia has said that it has fired on Ukrainian military positions using 120-millimetre mortars.

The footage purports to show Russian soldiers setting up one of the mortars on the battlefields of eastern Ukraine before using it to fire on unseen Ukrainian positions.

At least five Russian soldiers can be seen operating one of the mortars, with other mortars also seen nearby, firing their ordnance off into the distance.

They can then be seen taking the mortars down and attaching them to military trucks before moving away to avoid return fire.

The images were obtained from the Russian Ministry of Defence (MoD) on Friday, 17th February, along with a statement claiming: “The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue to inflict fire damage on military facilities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the zone of the special military operation.

“Intelligence of the Western Group of Forces received data on the buildup of enemy forces in one of the directions.

“One of the most effective ways of working is the ‘roaming mortar’. It consists of a quick change of firing position. The speed and accuracy of hitting targets is achieved thanks to the adjustment of fire using an unmanned aerial vehicle.

“Mortar crews move on a highly passable truck; 120-mm mortars are used as a means of fire damage to the enemy.

“The crews of ‘roaming’ 120-mm mortars literally have a few minutes to take up a firing position, calculate the initial data for firing and fire the first shot.

“After the first shot, the crews begin to work like a well-oiled mechanism, where each fighter knows his manoeuvre perfectly well.

“The main trump card of a wandering fire weapon is the sudden appearance and quick change of position after firing.

“Calculators have nerves of iron. To the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, at best, a few kilometres. But no fuss or haste.

“Artillerymen fire to suppress firing positions and destroy strongholds, destroy enemy manpower and lightly armoured vehicles at a range of up to 7,000 metres.

“Skilful actions of personnel under the guidance of experienced commanders simultaneously ensure a high degree of destruction and safety of personnel when using the ‘roaming mortar’ tactics.

“The firing points are calculated in advance according to the enemy’s targets. A few minutes are enough for the calculation to bring the mortar to battle, after which the mortars strike with quick-fire with adjustment, roll up and move to a new firing point, from where they fire at newly opened enemy targets.

“A short pause, they made adjustments and, when ready, they open fire again.

“The type of target, the distance to it, the commander not only knows, but sees. An unmanned aerial vehicle hovered in the sky, its camera the eyes of a mortar crew. The commander receives a picture in real time.

“After firing, the 120-millimetre gun is folded in the body, and now the crew is already on its way to a new firing position. Detecting a wandering mortar, having time to strike back is a difficult task even for an experienced enemy. The level of training mortarmen reduces these chances to a minimum.

“They disappear as quickly as they appear. According to the platoon fighters, they are having a mortar duel with the enemy. True, from the other side they do not really have time to answer. They are shelling an already open field.

“But calculations, if possible, reduce the distance to the target in order to be sure to get it. They work at the forefront. Remaining elusive to the enemy.

“The mood of all calculations is combat. Everyone is trying to contribute to the common victory.”

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 359th day of the full-scale war.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that between 24th February 2022 and 17th February 2023, Russia had lost about 141,260 personnel, 3,298 tanks, 6,520 armoured combat vehicles, 2,322 artillery units, 467 multiple launch rocket systems, 241 air defence systems, 298 warplanes, 287 helicopters, 2,013 drones, 871 cruise missiles, 18 warships, 5,187 motor vehicles and fuel tankers, and 221 units of special equipment.

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

Ukraine’s President, Volodymyr Zelensky, has ruled out giving up any of Ukraine’s territory in any potential peace deal with Russia.

Zelensky reportedly said that giving up land would signify that Russia could “keep coming back”.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of Russia’s notorious Wagner mercenary organisation, has claimed that Bakhmut will fall within a couple of months.

Russia reportedly fired rockets and artillery at residential districts in Bakhmut on Thursday, killing three men and two women. Nine other people were wounded.

This is according to Ukraine’s Prosecutor General, who said that “criminal proceedings have been initiated”.

Russia launched 41 missiles at Ukraine on Thursday night, according to Ukrainian officials. The Ukrainian Air Force said that it had shot down at least 16 missiles.

Russia’s Ministry of Defence has said that Ukraine has returned 101 prisoners of war to Russia in a prisoner exchange swap.

The head of the Ukrainian President’s Office, Andriy Yermak, said that 100 soldiers and one civilian had been returned to Ukraine in exchange.

He added that nearly all of the soldiers who were returned to Ukraine had defended the southern city of Mariupol before it fell to Russia.

Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to President Zelensky, has said that Russia has “definitely changed tactics” and is using decoy missiles that do not have explosive warheads as well as balloons to confuse Ukraine’s air defences and offer too many targets to shoot down.

US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin has said that Russia “continues to introduce large numbers of troops” onto the battlefields of Ukraine.

He said that the new troops were “ill-equipped and ill-trained”, resulting in Russia “incurring a lot of casualties and we expect that will continue”.

Sir Keir Starmer, the UK Labour Party leader, has travelled to the Ukrainian capital Kyiv to meet President Zelensky, telling him that the United Kingdom will continue to support Ukraine if there were a change of government in the UK next year.

The Russian Foreign Ministry has said that it is expelling four Austrian diplomats after Austria took an “unfriendly and unjustified step”.

The move comes after Vienna said earlier this month that it was expelling four Russian diplomats who “engaged in acts incompatible with their diplomatic status”.

The Austrian capital became a spy hotbed during the Cold War and is still reportedly considered to be a hotspot for international espionage.

The General Assembly of the United Nations is set to vote next week on a draft resolution outlining “the need to reach, as soon as possible, a comprehensive, just and lasting peace” in Ukraine.