WATCH: Astonishing video shows Ukrainian kamikaze drone DESTROY Russian tank as desperate troops try and shoot it down

An astonishing video appears to show a Ukrainian kamikaze drone destroying a Russian tank in footage that has emerged online.

The use of drones has become increasingly common in the conflict between Ukraine and Russia and used to destroy armoured vehicles.

In the new footage that first emerged on Telegram, a Russian armoured carrier travels down a road in what looks like the countryside.

Two men sit on top of the vehicle and appear panicked as the drone gets nearer.

Shots are discharged from their weapons in an attempt to prevent the drone making contact with their vehicle.

The footage then cuts out before it is clear what happened.

It is also not known when the footage was recorded.

Earlier this week a suspected Ukrainian drone reached the main base for Russia's long-range strategic bomber fleet, hundreds of kilometres inside Russian air space, on Monday. Moscow said it had shot the drone down but added at least three servicemen were killed.

It was the second time the base had been hit since the start of December, a sign that Russia has yet to plug the gap in its air defences that made the audacious attack possible.

Putin has repeatedly spoken of a desire for peace talks in comments in recent days. But his foreign minister Sergei Lavrov made clear Moscow still has a list of preconditions, including that Ukraine recognise Russia's conquest by force of around a fifth of Ukrainian territory, which it says it has annexed.

Kyiv says it is winning the war and will never agree to relinquish land.

In a late night address on Tuesday, Zelenskyy said a meeting of the military command had "established the steps to be taken in the near future."

He continued: “We will continue preparing the armed forces and Ukraine's security for next year. This will be a decisive year. We understand the risks of winter. We understand what needs to be done in the spring.”