Russian forces are advancing in the Donetsk region at the fastest rate since the early days of the 2022 invasion, and the defence ministry in Moscow on Friday claimed control of two new settlements there.
But Syrskyi said Ukrainian forces were continuing to repel Russian advances after he paid a visit to units near the towns of Pokrovsk and Kurakhhove.
"Based on the results of the work, all necessary decisions have been made to strengthen the units with reserves, additional ammunition, weapons and military equipment," he said on the Telegram messaging app.
"We continue to restrain the enemy and inflict heavy losses in terms of their manpower and equipment."
The war against Russia has reached a critical juncture.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has threatened to target Ukraine's "decision-making centres" with its new ballistic missile in response to Ukrainian forces using foreign-supplied missiles to strike back inside Russia.
Russia on Friday handed over the bodies of 502 Ukrainian soldiers killed in the war.
According to the Coordination Staff for Prisoner of War Matters, 64 of the soldiers were killed in the southern Ukrainian region of Zaporizhzhia and a further 24 in the Luhansk region in the east of the country.
Another 17 of the soldiers were killed inside Russia.Â
In August, Ukrainian units invaded the Russian border region of Kursk, where they still hold an area of several hundred square kilometres.
According to Russian media reports, Russia received the bodies of 48 Russian soldiers in return.
The handover took place under the mediation of the International Red Cross.
with DPA
