Boy turned up for his first day at school in a tank driven by his soldier dad

The boy's father is one of the Russia-backed separatists, who are carrying out the defence of Donetsk, a city which has seen frequent fighting despite a supposed ceasefire being in place.

The unnamed youngster had apparently been nervous about turning up for his first day at a new school in the city of Donetsk, Ukraine.

But any nerves disappeared after his dad drove him there in a tank, instantly making him a big hit with all his new school friends.

Pictures show children clambering all over the tank, rushing up to touch it and chatting to the tank commander,also known as the boy's dad.

One of the Parent Vitaly Dolgorukova said: "It's not unusual to see tanks around here but I've never seen one doing the school run before, I thought it was a really fun idea that took away the nerves of a lot of the new kids."