ISTANBUL

Ukraine said on Sunday that the situation was "difficult" around the area of Russia's main offensive in the country.

"In the direction of the enemy's main attack, the situation is difficult. But all necessary decisions at all levels are taken without delay," Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said on Telegram.

Syrskyi said Russia was suffering "significant losses" despite its advantage in numbers and arms.

While he did not specify which part of the front between Russia and Ukraine he was referring to, Syrskyi had said on Thursday that he worked for several days in the brigades defending the Pokrovsk front, where he said the situation was "most challenging."

Pokrovsk has become a key front in the ongoing war, where Moscow has been pushing and regularly claiming control over more settlements.

Also on Sunday, Russia's Defense Ministry claimed that its forces took control of the rural settlements of Ptyche, located almost 24 kilometers (15 miles) southeast of the city of Pokrovsk.

It also claimed control of the settlement of Vyimka, about 26 kilometers (16.1 miles) northeast of the city of Bakhmut, an important transport and logistics hub in the eastern Donetsk region, where Pokrovsk is also located.

Ukrainian authorities have not yet commented on the claim, and independent verification of Russia’s claim is difficult due to the ongoing war.