Dramatic moment Russian helicopter is shot down and crashes in a fireball after being hit by Ukrainian missile

THIS is the dramatic moment a Russian helicopter explodes into a fireball as it's struck by a Ukrainian missile.

The aircraft was downed in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, where much of Russia’s army is still based.

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The remarkable clip showed the helicopter spinning in circles as it dropped out of the sky.

It then burst into flames as a plume of smoke billowed from the wreckage.

It comes after Russian troops reportedly destroyed bridges across the Seversky Donets river.

Soldiers are attempting to block Ukrainian reinforcements from providing aid to civilians in the town of Sievierodonetsk, a local official reported.

Luhansk governor Serhiy Gaidai said that despite the bombardment, Ukrainian soldiers are holding their positions and pushing back against the assault.

On Thursday, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia is currently occupying about 20 per cent of Ukraine's territory.

But Putin’s men are said to be wavering - and confidence in their humiliating invasion has dropped off as they suffer heavy losses.

It is believed the tinpot despot is now only focusing on the Donbas region - and he's "gone soft" on the invasion.

He has come under mounting pressure from his generals to turn around his disastrous military campaign in Ukraine.

Russia has now lost an estimated 30,000 soldiers, seen thousands of destroyed tanks and aircraft, and even lost their Black Sea flagship the Moskva.

Burnt-out carcasses of Russian vehicles litter the Ukrainian countryside in "tank graveyards".

After more than 100 days of conflict, Russia is yet to achieve any of its major military objectives.

Depleted and exhausted Russian forces were forced to withdraw from Kyiv in April.

And they had also been losing ground in the Donbas, with Kharkiv being the latest city to be "liberated" by Ukrainian troops.

Reports suggest the chaotic war efforts have sparked mutinies across the board as footage emerged of troops criticising Putin’s campaign.

Russian media have been banned from mentioning the invasion reaching its landmark date.

The Kremlin fear that discussing the conflict's climax would remind people how Putin’s "special operation" has been "dragged out."

And an expert has claimed that the conflict has reached a "state of attrition".

Speaking to The Sun Online, Swedish economist and Russia expert Anders Aslund said: "At the 100-day mark, the war is at a stalemate."

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