Situation on the front line 'very, very difficult,' Volodymyr Zelenskyy says

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says his troops are facing difficult times on the frontline of the war with Russia.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says his troops are facing difficulties in their fight against Russia. and is pushing for a quick end to the conflict. Source: Getty / Angela Weiss

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says the situation on the front line of the more than two-and-a-half-year-old war against Russia is "very, very difficult," and Ukraine's forces had to do everything they could over the autumn period.

"Reports on each of our frontline sectors, our capabilities, our future capabilities and our specific tasks: The situation is very, very difficult," he said in his nightly video address, referring to an hours-long meeting with top commanders.

"Everything that can be done this autumn, everything that we can achieve must be achieved."

Ukrainian military bloggers have reported in recent days that Russian forces have been advancing on the hilltop town of Vuhledar, which Ukrainian forces have defended over the course of the war, in the south of the Donetsk region.

Russian forces have also been advancing slowly for months further north, with the aim of capturing Donbas, made up of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

Russia's Defence Ministry said on Monday that its forces had captured the village of Nelipivka, south of the city of Toretsk, one of Moscow's targets in the area.