The footage purports to show a Russian unmanned aerial vehicle hitting and destroying a Ukrainian military observation post.
The images begin by showing a Russian crew preparing the large drone for takeoff and fitting it with ordnance.
The drone can then be seen taxiing on a runway at an undisclosed location before a soldier who appears to be the drone’s operator can be seen flying it.
The footage then cuts to an explosion some on the ground, supposedly showing the drone hitting its target with its ordnance.
The images were obtained from the Russian Ministry of Defence (MoD) on Tuesday, 28th February, along with a statement claiming: “An Inokhodets UAV [unmanned aerial vehicle] destroyed an AFU [Armed Forces of Ukraine] command and observation post.
“The target was hit by air-launched guided projectile.
“UAVs perform reconnaissance, fire adjustment, and engagement against the targets within the special military operation.”
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 371st day of the full-scale war.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that between 24th February 2022 and 1st March 2023, Russia had lost about 149,890 personnel, 3,395 tanks, 6,638 armoured combat vehicles, 2,393 artillery units, 479 multiple launch rocket systems, 247 air defence systems, 300 warplanes, 288 helicopters, 2,055 drones, 873 cruise missiles, 18 warships, 5,257 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 US Undersecretary of Defence Colin Kahl has said that he does not expect the Russians to make significant gains on the frontlines in the near future.
Speaking at a US House of Representatives hearing, he said: “I do not think that there’s anything I see that suggests the Russians can sweep across Ukraine and make significant territorial gains anytime in the next year or so.”
A senior Russian official has said that a military drone targeted a gas facility in the Moscow region, with images of the wreckage reportedly suggesting that the unmanned aerial vehicle was Ukrainian-made.
And Russia’s Pulkovo airport in St Petersburg reportedly suspended all flights temporarily as a result of reports of a UAV being flown nearby, with the Russian Ministry of Defence later saying that it was a training exercise.
The Russian MoD also claimed that it had thwarted two attempted Ukrainian attacks on Russian soil using drones, saying: “On 28th February, at night, the Kyiv regime attempted to use unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to attack civilian infrastructure in the Krasnodar territory and the Republic of Adygea.”
Russia’s RIA news agency has said that the emergency services put out a fire at an oil depot in the town of Tuapse, Krasnador, in southern Russia, after a drone was spotted flying nearby.
The Russian emergencies ministry said that a number of Russian regional broadcasters were hacked, with a false warning telling people to take shelter from incoming missile attacks being broadcast.
The ministry reportedly said: “As a result of the hacking of servers of radio stations and TV channels, in some regions of the country information about the announcement of an air alert was broadcast. This information is false and does not correspond to reality.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin has reportedly told the FSB to increase its intelligence activities and stop “sabotage groups” from entering Russian territory.
Putin reportedly instructed the agency to step up its counterintelligence operations amid what he described as growing espionage and sabotage activities against Russia by Ukraine and its allies.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that intense fighting between Ukrainian and Russian forces near the eastern city of Bakhmut is continuing to increase.
Alexander Lukashenko, the authoritarian President of Belarus and Putin ally has arrived in the Chinese capital Beijing to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
Antony Blinken, the US Secretary of State, has again said that China is thinking about providing weaponry to Russia for its war in Ukraine, warning that Beijing would face “implications and consequences” if it decided to assist Russia with military means.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has said that Ukraine will become a NATO member in the “long term”. Stoltenberg also said that Finland and Sweden joining the alliance was “a top priority”.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has said that Russia is open to negotiations to end the war in Ukraine but insisted that his country would “never compromise” on what he said were new “territorial realities”.
