Russia has said that it has reinforced its eastern border with Bastion missile systems.

The Russian Ministry of Defence has said that these images show how it has reinforced the Kuril Islands off Japan with Bastion mobile coastal defence missile systems.

The footage shows Russian soldiers standing to attention amid patriotic music and the national anthem as snow falls on them in a wintry landscape, supposedly on the Kuril Islands.

An alarm can then be heard, with the soldiers running to Bastion vehicles, which can then be seen manoeuvring out of the base and into position before one appears to be a radio antenna is hoisted from an undisclosed location.

The images were obtained from the Russian Ministry of Defence on Monday, 5th December, along with a statement claiming: “The crews of the Bastion coastal missile system (BRK) of the Pacific Fleet (Pacific Fleet) took up duty in the northern part of the Kuril ridge on Paramushir Island. Coastal missilemen of the Pacific Fleet will keep a round-the-clock watch to control the adjacent water area and strait zones.

“Equipment, personnel and materiel were delivered to the island by large landing ships of the Primorsky Flotilla of diverse forces of the Pacific Fleet.

“Earlier, an autonomous military camp was deployed in Paramushir by the forces of the logistics support units of the fleet, in which all conditions have been created for year-round service, accommodation, recreation and food for personnel.

“For the operation and maintenance of equipment, equipment for technical posts was installed, storage facilities for equipment and material resources were deployed, and entrances to the starting positions were equipped.

“A year ago, in December 2021, the calculations of the Bastion DBK of the Pacific Fleet began to be on duty in the central part of the Kuril ridge – on the island of Matua.”

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 285th day of the war.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that between 24th February and 5th December, Russia had lost about 91,690 personnel, 2,924 tanks, 5,900 armoured combat vehicles, 1,914 artillery units, 395 multiple launch rocket systems, 211 air defence systems, 281 warplanes, 264 helicopters, 1,582 drones, 531 cruise missiles, 16 warships, 4,497 motor vehicles and fuel tankers, and 163 units of special equipment.

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

Avril Haines, the United States Director of National Intelligence, has said that Russian President Vladimir Putin is now “better informed” about the challenges his army is facing in Ukraine.

It had previously been assessed that Putin was being shielded by his inner circle from the worst news about his troops’ performance in Ukraine.

Haines said that Putin was “becoming more informed of the challenges that the military faces.”

Haines also said that there will likely be a “reduced tempo” in fighting over the winter, adding: “Most of the fighting right now around Bakhmut and the Donetsk area has slowed down with the withdrawal of Russia from the western Kherson area to the east of the river. And we expect that’s likely to be what we see in the coming months.”

There is ongoing heavy fighting near the key town of Bakhmut, in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, where the Russian military has struggled for the last six months to make any substantial progress.

Ukrainian forces are also said to be making headway on the east bank of the Dnipro River after taking control of the city of Kherson.

Russia has also been intensifying its artillery attacks on the Kherson region since abandoning it and withdrawing to the east bank of the river.

There is reportedly a draft resolution circulating at the United Nations proposing a Nuremberg-style tribunal to hold Moscow to account for its crimes in Ukraine.

Rob Malley, the US special envoy on Iran, has said that the Islamic Republic has locked itself into a “vicious cycle” regarding the ongoing protests gripping the country and over providing Russia with weapons.

He said: “The more Iran represses, the more there will be sanctions; the more there are sanctions, the more Iran feels isolated.”

Malley added: “The more isolated they feel, the more they turn to Russia; the more they turn to Russia, the more sanctions there will be, the more the climate deteriorates, the less likely there will be nuclear diplomacy. So it is true right now the vicious cycles are all self-reinforcing.”

Some 500 localities in Ukraine remained without electricity on Sunday after weeks of Russian missile strikes targeting the country’s power grid, according to the Ukrainian Interior Ministry.