Russian soldier rolls out tanks for romantic manoeuvre

A Russian soldier has pulled out all the stops to propose to his girlfriend, with his fellow officers manoeuvring 16 tanks to surround the couple in a heart shape.

The high-octane romantic stunt was filmed in a video published by the defence ministry on Friday, Valentine's Day.

As snow fell, the T-72B3 tanks rolled into position on the Alabino training ground outside Moscow.

Lieutenant Denis Kazantsev led his long-term partner Alexandra Kopytova into the centre as she held her hands over her eyes, the defence ministry's TV channel Zvezda reported.

Kazantsev, a platoon commander, went down on bended knee, holding a bunch of red roses.

"We've been together a very long time. We've stood the test of time and distance. Marry me!" he said as his girlfriend nodded silently. He then put a ring on her finger.

"I still don't understand what's going on," Kopytova told a television reporter at the scene. "It's very unexpected."