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Female soldiers defending Ukraine the the crisis-torn east of the country are going viral.

The battle-ready beauties, pictured holding powerful rifles and machine guns, and in one case a cute puppy, are attracting an army of admirers.

They are part of the Ukrainian forces defending their homeland from pro-Russian groups in the east of the country following Russia's annexation of the Crimean peninsula.

Russia has reportedly put its air defences on high alert and moved its warships - warning of a "nervous situation" as Ukraine carries out two days of missile tests.

(Image: CEN/@SvojakS) (Image: CEN/@SvojakS)

Ukraine says the aim of the tests are to bolster its defence capabilities.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Wednesday he did not know whether President Vladimir Putin had ordered the defence ministry to prepare a potential military response to the Ukrainian tests.

Meanwhile, these femme fatales took time out from the brutal conflict to pose, with smiles on their faces, for photographs that made an instant impact on social media users.

One stunning blonde is pictured looking up from her tripod-mounted machine gun, and another is seen wearing a helmet and bulletproof vest while holding a rifle.

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A brunette is seen wearing fatigues and holding up a puppy which is suspected to have been born on their military camp and adopted as a mascot.

Apparently on patrol in the woods, the fourth is seen with a rifle over her shoulder and looking back at the camera.

Netizen ‘Ukrop-Evrop’, who first shared the photos online, commented: “Beauties from the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Please, just take care of yourselves ladies.”

‘Danigr’ said: “I wish they had a whole army division consisting of those models. Hot stuff!”, while ‘demirrados’ added: “Gimme more!!”