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A chilling video has emerged showing Russian special forces preparing for battle, sparking fresh fears that war between the East and West is imminent.

In the two-minute clip, released by the Russian Defence Ministry and posted to YouTube, masked Spetsnaz soldiers - Russia’s most elite armed forces - are seen running through woodland firing their guns into the air before performing a complex serious of military manoeuvres.

The film then cuts to shots of a training scenario showing the soldiers, still wearing masks and camouflage gear and with weapons in their hands, protecting a suited VIP.

The stocky, short-haired dignitary emerges from a shiny car, flanked by armed guards, who immediately leap to protect him as snipers start firing from nearby windows.

(Image: Russian Defence Ministry) (Image: Russian Defence Ministry)

The camera then follows two soldiers as they negotiate an obstacle course, designed to look like a town, as they each use multiple weapons to defend themselves and shoot at targets, running through doorways and firing out of makeshift windows.

The soldiers are also trained in how to help their comrades should they get shot and injured during warfare.

(Image: Russian Defence Ministry) (Image: Russian Defence Ministry)

To wear the maroon beret of the Spetsnaz, soldiers must pass a series of tough tests that include hand-to-hand fighting and gruelling underwater combat as well as weapons and explosives training and emergency first aid.

This is not the first time Russia has flexed its military muscles recently and with tensions rising between Vladimir Putin’s homeland and the West many fear the outbreak of a Third World War.

Both America and the European Union have been at loggerheads with Russia in recent months after it backtracked on an agreed ceasefire in Syria and was accused of using cyber attacks to disrupt the US presidential election.

Last month Britain announced it would be sending hundreds of soldiers to the Russian border in Estonia - the biggest military move in that area since the Cold War.

(Image: Russian Defence Ministry) (Image: Getty) (Image: Russian Defence Ministry)

The United States, Germany and Canada announced similar intentions and France, Denmark, Italy and other allies are expected to join them.

The announcements came just weeks after 40 million Russians reportedly carried out nuclear evacuation drills after officials claimed the West was planning an attack on the country.

And just a few weeks ago a Russian aircraft carrier passed through the English Channel en route to Syria in an apparent show of force against Britain.