These images show Ukrainian soldiers practising to use a heavy machine gun in snowy conditions.

The footage shows Ukrainian soldiers uncovering a heavy machine gun that was loaded on the back of a pickup truck.

They can be seen carrying the large weapon, make and model unclear, in snowy conditions and setting it up.

One soldier can then be seen opening fire with the heavy machine gun before parts of it can be seen being taken back to the truck.

The images were obtained from the Regional Directorate of Territorial Defence Forces ‘East’ of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Tuesday, 28th February, along with a statement saying: “Machine gun – so much in one word!

“It is good support for soldiers with smaller weapons and cover for manoeuvring on the battlefield.

“The Donetsk Separate Brigade of the Territorial Defence Forces is convinced of this every day by protecting the land that belongs to us!

“Glory to Ukraine! Death to the enemies!”

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”.