St Nick And Helper Bunny Gift Troops Weaponry For Christmas

This heartwarming yet slightly bizarre footage shows St Nicholas and his bunny helper delivering presents of mortars and guns to Ukrainian troops for St Nicholas Day.

The footage shows a burly troop dressed in blue robes and carrying a rifle next to his female helper decked out in a rabbit outfit.

A Ukrainian soldier arrives in a military vehicle and is gifted a box by cigar-chomping Saint Nicholas as festive music chimes in the background.

The pair are then seen gifting tank shells to other soldiers and even some mortars to some lucky troops.

The two can also be seen travelling from place to place on board a tank as if it were Santa's sleigh.

The 92nd Mechanised Brigade said in a statement obtained by Newsflash on 19th December, which is celebrated in Ukraine as St Nicholas's Day: "We believe in miracles! We believe in the Armed Forces of Ukraine! We are sure: St Nicholas is on the side of light and truth!"

The 92nd Mechanised Brigade is a formation of the Ukrainian Ground Forces and is based in Bashkurivka, Kharkiv Oblast.

Russia invaded Ukraine on 24th February in what the Kremlin is still calling a "special military operation". Today marks the 299th day of the invasion.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that between 24th February and 19th December, Russia had lost about 98,800 personnel, 2,988 tanks, 5,969 armoured combat vehicles, 1,953 artillery units, 410 multiple launch rocket systems, 212 air defence systems, 281 warplanes, 264 helicopters, 1,657 drones, 653 cruise missiles, 16 warships, 4,592 motor vehicles and fuel tankers, and 175 units of special equipment.

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

Kyiv's critical infrastructure was targeted by a wave of Russian military drone attacks early on 19th December.

Some 20 Iran-made drones were deployed to and around Ukraine's capital, with air defence systems destroying about three-quarters of them.

Officials in Kyiv have confirmed that a critical infrastructure point was hit, without giving further details.

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is set to announce a new military aid package for Ukraine worth GBP 250 million.

It will include "hundreds of thousands of rounds of artillery ammunition" for use against invading Russian forces.

And officials in Ukraine have dismissed calls for a negotiated peace from former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger as "appeasing the aggressor".