Russian attacks on the eastern Donetsk Oblast killed two people and wounded eight over the past day, Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko reported on Dec. 21.

Russian forces shelled the entire front line from Vuhledar to Lyman, causing damages and destruction in residential areas.

One person was killed, two were injured in Vuhledar, and one person was killed in Torsk, the governor said.

Five people were wounded in Bakhmut, the city that has been the site of some of the heaviest fighting for months.

President Volodymyr Zelensky made a surprise visit to Bakhmut on Dec. 20, presenting state awards to the fighters defending the city.

Zelensky called Bakhmut the "hottest point" out of the entire 1,300-kilometer front line.

He earlier said Russian forces are "destroying it to the ground."

According to the U.K. Defense Ministry, Russian military and Wagner Group proxies forces have made small advances on the eastern edge of Bakhmut.

"Russian infantry likely now has a foothold in the eastern industrial areas of the town, and at times has advanced into the residential district of the city," the ministry added.

In Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Russian attacks over the past day reportedly damaged residential houses and power lines, said Governor Valentyn Reznichenko.

Russian troops shelled the region's Nikopol district with Grad multiple launch rocket systems and heavy artillery at least 70 times, he added, saying there were no casualties.