New video images purport to show Russia rattling its sabre in the Pacific Ocean with large warships and planes taking part in exercises said to involve over 40 vessels and 20 aircraft.
The Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) said that the images show “exercises of warships and naval aviation of the Pacific Fleet.”
The video first shows Russian warships at sea before showing military aircraft taking off from a runway at an undisclosed location.
The images then show the military aircraft flying high in the sky above the clouds. The footage then switches back to the Russian naval forces, with officers and sailors communicating with one another.
One of the Russian warships can then be seen firing a salvo of ordnance, presumably at an imaginary target. The clip then shows large guns firing from a naval vessel before the footage ends.
The images come after Russian state media announced that the country’s Pacific Fleet had begun naval drills set to last a week. The Russian state news agency TASS said that over 40 warships and 20 aircraft are involved in the exercises, taking place after the conflict in Ukraine passed the 100-day mark.
Russian troops invaded Ukraine on February 24 in what the Kremlin is still calling a “special military operation.” June 6 marks the 103rd day of the war.
From February 24 to June 6, the total combat losses of Russian troops stand at around 31,250 personnel, according to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The Ukrainian military also claims that Russia has lost 1,386 tanks, 3,400 armored fighting vehicles, 690 artillery systems, 207 multiple launch rocket systems, 96 anti-aircraft systems, 211 warplanes, 176 helicopters, 2,395 motor vehicles and fuel tankers, 13 vessels, 551 unmanned aerial vehicles, 53 units of special equipment, and 125 cruise missiles.
The United Kingdom has announced that it is sending long-range missiles to Ukraine for the first time.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned of more attacks in Ukraine if the West sends long-range weapons.
Russian missiles struck Kyiv on Sunday, June 5 in the first assault on the Ukrainian capital in weeks.
Ukraine is claiming that it has retaken half of the key eastern city of Sievierodonetsk, where fighting has been focused recently.
And the Ukrainian Armed Forces said earlier on Monday, June 6 that Russian forces are continuing their push towards the city of Sloviansk, near Sievierodonetsk.
Ukraine’s Armed Forces are “holding out” as Russian invaders attempt to seize the city of Sievierodonetsk in Luhansk region.
Serhiy Haidai, head of the Luhansk Regional Military Administration, said: “The Russians are storming Sievierodonetsk… Street fights are ongoing there. However, the Ukrainian Armed Forces are holding the defense. The head of state, who visited our advanced positions in the Luhansk region at night, was convinced of this.”
