Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday that Donetsk region in the east remained the "epicentre" of fighting in the conflict, with hundreds of Russians being killed every day.
"The Donetsk region remains the epicenter of the greatest madness of the occupiers," Zelensky said in his nightly video address.
"They are being killed in their hundreds every day. The ground in front of Ukrainian positions is littered with bodies of the occupiers," he said.
"The Ukrainian forces are slowly pushing out the Russian troops in some areas of east and south."
Zelensky also said that it is vital to force Russia to "genuine peace negotiations."
The towns of Bakhmut and Avdiivka are the focal points of the heaviest fighting in Donetsk region.
