Ukraine's military said on Thursday its troops had pulled back from part of Chasiv Yar in the eastern Donetsk region, a day after Russia said its forces had taken control of a district in the strategic town.

Chasiv Yar stands on high ground. If Russian forces establish full control over the town, they could potentially use it as a staging post to advance westwards towards the Ukrainian cities of Kramatorsk and Sloviansk.

Russia's Defence Ministry said on Wednesday its forces had taken control of the "Novyi" district, which lies to the west of Siverskyi DonetsDonbas canal that runs through the eastern part of the town.

Russia's forces, which launched their fullscale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, have been slowly advancing in the Donetsk region for several weeks and tried to open a new front near the northeastern city of Kharkiv.

The advance in the Kharkiv region was halted, but Ukrainian military analysts acknowledge that 2024 has been a tough year for Ukraine on the battlefield and that delays in receiving U.S. military aid have had an impact.