Russia’s armed forces have unveiled their latest cutting-edge weapon in a New Year greetings video – cuddly puppies.

After a year of showing off its military might in Syria, the Defence Ministry has taken a softer approach. The one-minute video shows dozens of puppies sharing food and cuddling each other, while older dogs are shown playing with unidentified officers.

More than 3,000 dogs are employed in the Russian armed forces.

Animals from the 470th Dog Breeding Centre outside Moscow won an international competition last summer against the canine forces of Belarus, Egypt, Iran and Uzbekistan.