These images purport to show the Russian Air Force carrying out missile strikes on military targets in Ukraine.
The footage reportedly shows Russian aircraft taking off from a runway at an undisclosed location. They can be seen sporting the now infamous white ‘Z’ symbol on their cockpits.
The ‘Z’ is one of the symbols, as well as the letters ‘V’ and ‘O’ that can be seen painted on Russian military vehicles taking part in the invasion of Ukraine.
The aircraft can then reportedly be seen flying low over countryside before unleashing its ordnance on unseen targets.
The images then reportedly show the aircraft coming back to land.
The images were obtained from the Russian Ministry of Defence (MoD) on Monday, 24th October, along with a statement claiming: “Attack aviation crews of the Russian Aerospace Forces carried out missile air strikes on military facilities and equipment of units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
“Attack aviation crews carried out rocket air strikes on military facilities and equipment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
“Missile launches were carried out in pairs from low altitudes.
“As a result of the combat use of aviation weapons, camouflaged fortified field positions and armoured vehicles of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were destroyed.
“After the sorties, the engineering and technical staff completed the tasks of servicing aircraft and preparing aviation equipment for a second combat sortie.”
We have not been able to independently verify the claims or the footage.
Russia invaded Ukraine on 24th February in what the Kremlin is still calling a “special military operation”. Today marks the 243rd day of the war.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that between 24th February and 24th October, Russia had lost about 67,940 personnel, 2,590 tanks, 5,295 armoured combat vehicles, 1,673 artillery units, 375 multiple launch rocket systems, 189 air defence systems, 270 warplanes, 245 helicopters, 1,370 drones, 350 cruise missiles, 16 warships, 4,044 motor vehicles and fuel tankers, and 149 units of special equipment.
Russia has claimed that its casualties have been much lower but provides infrequent updates on its latest figures.
Moscow has demanded that more civilians flee the Russian-occupied Kherson region to escape a potential Ukrainian counteroffensive amid a “tense situation on the front”.
The Russian news agency Interfax has said that 25,000 people had been removed from Kherson since last Tuesday.
Russia and Ukraine have both accused each other of plotting to blow up the Nova Kakhovka dam, which could result in a large area of southern Ukraine, including Kherson, being flooded.
The United States and Ukraine have denounced allegations by the Russian Defence Minister, Sergei Shoigu, that Ukraine is preparing to use a “dirty bomb” – a bomb that combines conventional explosives with radioactive material.
Ukraine’s President, Volodymyr Zelensky, said on Sunday: “If Russia calls and says that Ukraine is allegedly preparing something, it means one thing: Russia has already prepared all this.”
The White House National Security Council said in a statement: “The world would see through any attempt to use this allegation as a pretext for escalation.”
Ben Wallace, the Defence Secretary of the United Kingdom, has also refuted Shoigu’s claims, with the UK Ministry of Defence saying: “The Defence Secretary refuted these claims and cautioned that such allegations should not be used as a pretext for greater escalation.”
A Russian Su-30 fighter jet has crashed into a two-storey building in Siberia, killing two crew members.
Iran has said that it will provide Russia with 40 turbines to support its gas industry amid Western sanctions over the war in Ukraine.
The Iranian Gas Engineering and Development Company’s CEO, Reza Noushadi, has been quoted by the Iranian oil ministry’s news agency Shana as saying that the country’s “industrial successes are not limited to the fields of missiles and drones”.
Ukraine’s special operations forces have said that Iranian drone instructors have been sighted in Belarus.
The deputy head of the Ukrainian presidency, Kyrylo Tymoshenko, said that Ukraine currently faces widespread electricity outages after Russian airstrikes across the country have left more than a million homes without power.
