There has been heavy fighting along the eastern front line in the war, with hundreds of recent engagements, but Russia has failed to make any significant advances, a Ukrainian military official said Sunday.
Kyiv's soldiers have been particularly successful around Bakhmut, where some of the bloodiest fighting of the war has taken place, Serhii Cherevatyi, a deputy commander and spokesperson for Ukrainian forces in the country's east, told CNN.
Cherevatyi said Ukrainian troops were advancing "hundreds of meters every day" despite a tough Russian resistance. Kremlin forces fired more than 650 shells there in the past day alone, he said.
"The enemy is putting up fierce resistance," Cherevatyi told CNN.
He added that movement along the front line was broadly static despite the intensity of the fighting.
The fight further north: While Ukraine is advancing on Bakhmut, Russia is trying to move toward Kupyansk, a city to the north in the Kharkiv region, Cherevatyi said.
Six attacks had taken place in settlements close to Kupyansk and Kharkiv's border with the region of Luhansk. Some involved fighter jets and attack helicopters.
"The Russians are concentrating their forces in this area, with powerful units there. However, we can see their intentions, we know what they want to do and what areas to attack," Cherevatyi said.
The Russian military said its forces had taken a village near Kupyansk on Saturday. Cherevatyi denied claims that Russia had made any ground, "unless we are talking about tens of meters. Nothing significant."
Cherevatyi also shot down any assertions that Kyiv had lost territory south of Svatove, another hotspot on the front that runs along the border of Kharkiv and Luhansk regions.
CNN cannot independently verify battlefield reports from either side in the conflict.
