Russia has said that its special forces have taken down Ukrainian drones using radio-electronic guns.

The footage shows a group of Russian soldiers marching through a forested area, with at least one of them seen equipped with an anti-drone gun.

Suddenly one of them signals to his colleagues to hold their position before the Russian soldier with the drone gun is brought forwards.

He points his device at the drone, forcing it to land.

The images were obtained from the Russian Ministry of Defence (MoD) on Friday, 3rd March, along with a statement claiming: “The Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation has published footage of the combat work of the special forces of the Central Military District with anti-drone guns in the zone of the special military operation.

“During combat work on the front line, special forces groups of the Central Military District (TsVO) calculate the location of the drones of Ukrainian nationalists, who are conducting reconnaissance of our positions and adjusting artillery fire.

“The servicemen use radio-electronic guns on drones, violate the drone’s control system and land it.

“After the intelligence officers of the Central Military District take the aircraft for spare parts, or destroy it.”

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.