The Ukrainian armed forces have acknowledged the loss of several towns and villages in the eastern regions as Russia intensifies its ground offensive.

Heavy fighting is taking place on three fronts, with Russian forces being reinforced and resupplied from bases inside Russia, a Ukrainian military spokesman said on Wednesday.

Despite the loss of territory, Ukrainian authorities said nine enemy attacks were repelled in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions alone, with the destruction of Russian equipment, including nine tanks and 11 artillery systems.

Ukrainian troops are basically fighting in three directions to prevent Russian forces from taking control of all Donetsk and Luhansk regions, which has been the Kremlin’s stated goal.

North, Russian units are attacking in the direction of Barkinove, a town south of Izium, and have taken the village of Zavody which has been disputed for several days, the Ukrainian army said.

The Ukrainians also recognized that the Russians had seized the outskirts of the settlement of Velyka Komyshuvakha in the same area.

From the east, Russian forces took control of the town of Zarichne and began attacking nearby Yampil.

The spokesman said Russian offensive operations were also focused on Severodonetsk, Popasna and Kurakhiv regions. Russian troops have also taken control of the Novotoshkivske settlement and are trying to advance further west.

In the south, Russian forces are trying to consolidate a land bridge to Crimea and occupy Ukrainian coastal regions.

The Ukrainian Armed Forces Southern Command said Russian units were regrouping and carrying out aerial reconnaissance, and trying to push north towards the city of Kryvyi Rih and into the Zaporizhzhia region.

He also accused the Russians occupying the Kherson region of continuing to “screen” civilians in two districts.

Reported damage includes energy infrastructure in the city of Zelenodolsk and a severe fire in Dnipropetrovsk.

He added that Russian prisoners had been taken.