Astonishing footage purportedly shows Russian air forces demolishing a group of Ukrainian soldiers and their armoured vehicles.

Russia's Ministry of Defence said that the alleged attack was carried out with Sukhoi Su-25 subsonic, single-seat, twin-engine aircraft in the area of Lyman, in Ukraine's Donetsk Oblast, on February 15.

It added in a statement: 'The strike was carried out with unguided aircraft rockets S-13, followed by a climb at an extremely low altitude at 82 feet.

'According to reports from the advanced aviation spotter, all specified targets were successfully hit.

'After completing the combat mission, the crews performed an anti-missile manoeuvre, deploying decoy flares, and successfully returned to the airfield.'

The pilot said: 'We have completed the combat task of striking the concentration of enemy personnel with an aviation strike.

'The flight was conducted at extremely low altitudes using unguided aircraft rockets of the S-13 type.

'Approaching the manoeuvre boundary,we performed a manoeuvre with subsequent evasion below the lower boundary of the enemy air defence zone, followed by a return to the airfield and a soft landing.'

Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, in what the Kremlin is still calling a 'special military operation'.