President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Thursday Ukrainian Ukrainian troops were holding their ground in the eastern town of Avdiivka, where fighting with Russian forces has intensified this week.

"Avdiivka. We are holding our ground. It is Ukrainian courage and unity that will determine how this war will end," Zelenskiy wrote on the Telegram messaging app alongside photos from the area.

Russian forces have mounted an offensive on Avdiivka, Ukrainian officials have said, and Russian accounts have also indicated the fighting there has intensified.

(Reporting by Anna Pruchnicka, Editing by Timothy Heritage)