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Russian forces bombarded Ukrainian positions along the frontlines in eastern Donetsk region on Tuesday in what appeared to be early salvoes of a new offensive as NATO allies met in Brussels to plan stepped-up supplies to the Kyiv government.

The Donetsk region city of Bakhmut, a major target for Russian President Vladimir Putin's invading troops, was in a precarious position.

"There is not a single square metre in Bakhmut that is safe or that is not in range of enemy fire or drones," regional governor Pavlo Kyrylenko told Ukraine's national broadcaster.

He said Russian artillery was hitting targets all along the frontlines in Donetsk, which along with Luhansk region makes up the Donbas, Ukraine's industrial heartland and a main objective for the Russians.

With the first anniversary of the invasion approaching, the Kremlin has intensified operations across a broad area of southern and eastern Ukraine and a major new offensive has been widely anticipated.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Monday that the bombardments and ground attacks indicated the offensive was already underway.

Ukraine's military said on Tuesday its forces had repelled attacks in five settlements in Luhansk and six in Donetsk, including in Bakhmut, over the past 24 hours.

They had also beaten back an attack on a town in Kharkiv region, which borders Russia in northeast Ukraine.

"The situations is difficult as a whole, but controlled," Kyrylenko said. "The enemy has not been able to achieve a tactical or strategic success there."

The Russian assault on Bakhmut has been spearheaded by mercenaries of the Wagner group. Britain's defence ministry said on Tuesday the mercenaries had made small gains in the northern outskirts in the past three days but an advance to the south of Bakhmut had probably made little progress.

The capture of Bakhmut would give Russia a new foothold in Donetsk and a rare victory after months of setbacks.

CITY IN RUINS

The city has already endured months of shelling and may districts are in ruins. Only about 5,000 civilians are left there out of a pre-war population of about 70,000, Kyrylenko said. Troops have fortified positions in anticipation of street fighting.

Authorities hoped to reduce the number of people remaining there to a minimum and they would try to evacuate the wounded, he said.

"Thank you to every one of our soldiers who are preventing the occupiers from encircling Bakhmut ... and who are holding our key positions at the front," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in an evening address.

Ukrainian officials also said the Russians had suffered big losses around Vuhledar, a town about 150 km southwest of Bakhmut, including tanks and armoured vehicles as well as personnel.

Reuters was not able to independently verify the battlefield reports.

With Ukraine desperate for more weapons, defence ministers from several NATO allies will meet at the organisation's headquarters in Brussels on Tuesday to discuss more military aid.

On the eve of the meeting, Ukraine's top general and the most senior U.S. Army commander in Europe discussed military aid and training in a telephone conversation. Ukraine says it needs fighter jets and long-range missiles.

Stoltenberg said he expected the issue of aircraft to be discussed but that Ukraine needed support on the ground now.

A NATO source said it would increase the stockpiling of ammunition as Ukraine was burning through shells much faster than Western countries could produce.

Training of Ukrainian forces on the Leopard 2 and other modern battle tanks that are to boost their defences is underway in several European countries, including Poland, Britain and Germany.