The situation on the frontlines in the east of the country was getting tougher and Russia was throwing more troops into battle, according to the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
After months of setbacks, Russian forces are trying to close grip on the town of Bakhmut and trying to control a nearby major supply route for Ukrainian forces, and the Kremlin has been pushing for a significant battlefield victory.
Russian troops are trying to capture the coal mining town of Vuhledar, about 75 miles 120 km south-west of Bakhmut, in the eastern region of Donetsk.
In his nightly video address, Zelenskiy said that the situation at the front is tough and is getting tougher, and it is that time again The invader is putting more and more of his forces into breaking down our defences.
He said that it is very difficult now in Bakhmut, Vuhledar, Lyman and other directions.
The deputy defence minister, Hanna Malyar, wrote on Telegram that Russian efforts to break the defences in Bakhmut and Lyman had failed.
Lyman, located north of Bakhmut, was liberated in October by Ukrainian forces.
This week, Russian occupation forces threw all their efforts into breaking through our defence and encircling Bakhmut, and launched a powerful offensive in the Lyman sector, Malyar said. They did not succeed because of the resilience of our soldiers. On Friday, Zelenskiy pledged that his forces will fight for Bakhmut for as long as possible, but the situation is getting worse for Ukrainian forces.
Russian military bloggers have claimed a number of unverified Russian successes along the frontline, as the general staff of Ukraine armed forces has been reporting daily combats in the area.