The most intense battles are taking place in Bakhmut and Soledar, where the Armed Forces repel dozens of Russian attacks per day, Deputy Defense Minister of Ukraine Hanna Malyar said.
"We can see that the epicenter of this week is Bakhmut, Soledar and the Donetsk area in general. There, it should be said, the enemy carries out dozens of attacks in a day, and we repel them. There actually is a mutual movement of both sides. Some populated areas, if the enemy manages to advance a little, there is an instant reaction of the defense forces of Ukraine, and we instantly return all territories," said Malyar on the air of the national telethon on Wednesday.
She emphasized that the main thing is that Ukraine does not surrender a single centimeter of land.
"But the process that is taking place now is active hostilities, active attempts of the enemy to reach the borders of Donetsk region, and the fighting continues fiercely there. There is a very difficult defense going on now," Malyar said.
The deputy minister added that now the armed forces are preparing to liberate the occupied territories and consolidate on the already liberated territories.
"If we talk about the situation on the fronts in general, it can be characterized as preparation for the liberation of our territories and consolidation in the territories that we have already liberated. Stabilization measures continue there. These are very serious measures of the defense and security forces. Therefore, this is actually the main task now," Malyar emphasized.