In a statement issued on Sunday, Ukraine's top commander, Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskii, revealed that Kyiv's outnumbered troops had fallen back to new positions west of three villages on the eastern front. This retreat comes as Russia has concentrated significant forces in several locations along the front line.

Colonel General Syrskii's statement highlights the deteriorating situation in eastern Ukraine, which the Ukrainian government hopes to stabilize with the upcoming delivery of United States weapons as part of a $61 billion aid package recently approved by the United States.

According to Colonel General Syrskii, the most difficult areas on the front line are west of the occupied village of Maryinka and northwest of Avdiivka, which was captured by Russian forces in February. Ukraine's troops have now taken up new positions west of the villages of Berdychi and Semenivka, located north of Avdiivka, as well as Novomykhailivka, situated to the south near Maryinka.

While the enemy has achieved certain tactical successes in these areas, Colonel General Syrskii emphasized that they have not gained operational advantages. It is worth noting that Russia has committed four brigades to this assault.

To reinforce the weakened Ukrainian brigades that have suffered losses, freshly rested units are being rotated into these areas. However, it remains uncertain what the current status of Novobakhmutivka, another village close to Berdychi, is, as Russia's Ministry of Defence claimed its capture on Sunday.

According to Al Jazeera's John Holman, reporting from Kyiv, Russian forces are concentrating on several different points along the front line, granting them the upper hand on the battlefield. The Russian side is also believed to hold superior ammunition and air power, leading Ukrainian army personnel on the front lines to report being out-shelled at a ratio of six or seven to one.

The Ukrainian military is eagerly awaiting the arrival of the recently approved US aid, which they hope will help close the firepower disparity between the opposing sides. Ukrainian officials argue that this aid is critical in combating Russia's two-year-old invasion, as Moscow's troops have been slowly advancing due to Ukrainian shortages in artillery shells and manpower.

Online battlefield maps, generated by open-source intelligence analysts, suggest that Russia has advanced more than 15km (9.3 miles) towards the village of Ocheretyne since taking control of Avdiivka. The Ukrainian-held town of Chasiv Yar, located on elevated ground, is emerging as a crucial battleground, potentially serving as a gateway to the cities of Kostiantynivka, Sloviansk, and Kramatorsk.

Colonel General Syrskii described Chasiv Yar and the village of Ivanivske, situated to its northeast, as the "hottest spots" on that part of the front. Russia's Ministry of Defence announced that it had successfully repelled Ukrainian counterattacks near Chasiv Yar.

In a concerning development for Ukraine, Colonel General Syrskii mentioned that Ukrainian forces were closely monitoring an increase in the number of Russian troops near Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city. Located just 30km (18.6 miles) from the Russian border, Kharkiv has been targeted by air attacks over the past few months, with Kyiv claiming that Moscow is intentionally trying to make the city uninhabitable.

Colonel General Syrskii also noted signs indicating that Russia is directly preparing for an offensive in the northern region of the country. He confirmed that Ukrainian troops in the most threatening directions have been reinforced by artillery and tank units.

As the situation on the eastern front deteriorates and tensions rise, all eyes are on the imminent arrival of the US aid and its potential impact on Ukraine's ability to counter Russia's aggression.