These images purport to show Russia’s T-90M ‘Breakthrough’ tanks firing during training exercises in Russia.

The footage shows the tanks opening fire on mock targets on snow-covered terrain.

The images were obtained from the Russian Ministry of Defence (MoD) on Friday, 3rd February, along with a statement claiming: “Ready to perform combat missions: tank units of the Western Military District performed live firing from the armament of the T-90M ‘Breakthrough’ tanks at a training ground in the Leningrad Region.

“During the firing, tankers practised hitting targets at various distances up to 5,000 metres, imitating enemy armoured vehicles, manpower and aircraft during the day and at night.

“In addition, the mechanics-drivers at the tank track completed the overcoming of natural and artificial obstacles, the standards for loading onto railway platforms and maintenance of combat vehicles.

“The T-90M ‘Proryv’ tank is a deep modernization of the T-90 type tanks with an increase in combat and operational characteristics. The Proryv is equipped with a new combat turret module, a highly automated digital fire control system with various types of aiming and climate control.”

We have not been able to independently verify the claims or the footage.

The T-90M is said to be an improved version of the T-90 tank. It is also known as the ‘Proryv-3’ (the ‘Breakthrough-3’). The T-90M was first publicly revealed in 2017.

Russia invaded Ukraine on 24th February 2022 in what the Kremlin is still calling a “special military operation”. Today marks the 345th day of the war.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that between 24th February 2022 and 3rd February 2023, Russia had lost about 129,870 personnel, 3,215 tanks, 6,388 armoured combat vehicles, 2,215 artillery units, 460 multiple launch rocket systems, 222 air defence systems, 294 warplanes, 284 helicopters, 1,952 drones, 796 cruise missiles, 18 warships, 5,068 motor vehicles and fuel tankers, and 202 units of special equipment.

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

The European Union has said that it will train an additional 15,000 Ukrainian soldiers, effectively doubling one of its military aid programmes.

Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, said at the beginning of a two-day trip to Kyiv, that the EU will “stand by Ukraine for the long haul”.

She also reiterated that the EU plans to have a 10th package of sanctions in place against Russia by the anniversary date of the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine, on 24th February.

The European Union also wants to work with Ukrainian prosecutors to set up an international centre in The Hague to prosecute the perpetrators of crimes committed in Ukraine, von der Leyen said.

The European Parliament has voted in favour of a roadmap outlining Ukraine’s path to becoming a member of the European Union.

The UK’s Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, has said that sending fighter jets to Ukraine would imply “months if not years” of training and he was looking for more effective ways of helping Ukraine to secure victory.

But Mateusz Morawiecki, the Prime Minister of Poland, has said he is open to providing Kyiv with F-16 fighter jets if such a decision were to be taken in concert with NATO allies.

The Minister of Defence of Ukraine, Oleksii Reznikov, has said that Moscow is planning a major offensive to coincide with the one-year anniversary of the beginning of the invasion, on 24th February.

He reportedly claimed that this could involve 500,000 Russian troops.

Two additional Russian missiles hit the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk on Thursday after an apartment block was destroyed in the city on Wednesday evening.

The regional governor, Pavlo Kyrylenko, has said that the latest strikes resulted in civilian casualties, but it is currently unclear how many.