Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi on Friday acknowledged that the military situation in eastern Ukraine is “very difficult,” but noted that Ukrainian forces continue to resist Russian attacks, CNN reports.

In his daily video address, Zelensky noted: “The situation on the front line remains very difficult in the key areas of Donbas – Bakhmut, Soledar, Maryinka, Kreminna.”

The four cities are on the front line in Donetsk and Luhansk, where there has been very little movement over the past three months.

In these territories, there is not a single place left for life on earth that has not been damaged by shells and fire,” Zelenskyy said.

“The occupiers actually destroyed Bakhmut – another city in Donbas, which the Russian army turned into burnt ruins,” he said.

Zelensky noted that Ukrainian troops held the front, repelling attacks and inflicting “losses on the enemy in response to the hell that came to Ukraine under the Russian flag.”

Fierce fighting has been going on around Bakhmut in Donetsk region for several months. The city suffered significant destruction, as did dozens of settlements on the Donetsk front line.

Earlier on Friday, the adviser of the president’s office, Oleksiy Arestovych, said that the Russians are making an unprecedented attack on Bakhmut.

He also said that the situation around the nearby town of Soledar “deteriorated a bit” as the Russians approached the village near a major highway.

In the Luhansk direction, Arestovych spoke about the dynamic front lines, where each side goes on the attack. But he said the Russians were now on the offensive, “which means we’re maintaining our defenses.”