The commander of the Ukrainian army, Oleksandr Syrskyi, admitted on Wednesday that the situation is “difficult” on the eastern front, where Russian troops are still on the offensive, unlike other areas where their activity has “suddenly decreased”, reports AFP.

“The operational situation on the eastern front remains difficult,” General Sirsky said in Telegram, noting that he visited a “theatre of military operations” in an area where there is a “threat of Russian advance in depth,” without providing further details.

“The adversary continues to conduct offensive actions, concentrating the main efforts in the areas of Terna, Ivanovske, Berdychi, Tonenke, Verbove and Robotine settlements,” added General Syrsky, publishing photos of himself with fighters on the spot.

“At the same time, probably due to the high level of losses, the activity of the enemy in other areas of the front has significantly decreased,” he added.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi assured in an interview with French media on Monday that Russia’s advance in the east has been “stopped” and that the situation at the front is now “much better” than three months ago.

After capturing the fortress city of Avdiyivka in eastern Ukraine in mid-February, after four months of heavy fighting, Russian forces quickly captured several villages to the west of the city by the end of February.

The Ukrainian army suffered from an acute shortage of ammunition due to the absence of its European and American allies and was forced to retreat to defensive positions, some of which were hastily constructed.

But since early March, Russian attacks appear to have slowed, with Moscow only claiming the capture of a small village southwest of Avdiivka.

“During two weeks of fierce fighting, the enemy suffered extremely heavy losses. However, all the settlements they tried to conquer remained under our control,” General Sirski said.