Kiev, 22 January 2024 (dpa/MIA) - Ukrainian forces are being bombarded by heavy Russian attacks in the north of the country around the now destroyed city of Bakhmut, the military leadership said on Monday evening.

"The situation is extremely tense and characterized by intense fire from artillery, mortars and combat drones, as well as assault operations by the enemy," the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian army troops, Oleksandr Syrskyi, wrote on his Telegram channel.

He said he had coordinated the further defence with the brigade commanders on the ground. Ukraine's military has been on the defensive in eastern Ukraine for months, with Russia reporting several small territorial gains in recent weeks.

Bakhmut and the front-line section in the north-east Ukrainian region of Kharkiv are also mentioned in the Ukrainian General Staff's evening situation report.

The Ukrainian army had repelled four Russian attacks near the village of Synkivka, close to the strategically important small town of Kupiansk. The enemy was trying to "break through the defence" of Ukraine's forces and seven attacks were repelled in the area, according to the report.

The Russian attack efforts were once again focussed on Avdiivka and the area around the small town of Mariinka, which Russia said it had captured weeks ago and which is also in ruins.

Both towns are located a little further south in the Donetsk region and border directly on the regional capital Donetsk, which has been controlled by Russian forces since 2014.