On Monday, Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar reiterated that Ukraine had a small foothold inside the city, which has seen fierce fighting. "Through our movement on the flanks - to the north and south - we manage to destroy the enemy," she said in televised comments.

"By moving along the flanks and occupying certain heights there, our armed forces have made it very difficult for
the enemy to stay in the city itself.

"We are still advancing, but the intensity is somewhat reduced," she said.

In post on the Telegram messaging app, she wrote: "The enemy's offensive potential has been significantly reduced, huge losses have been inflicted on the enemy (and) we have gained time for certain actions which will be discussed later."