Washington: While US officials intensified efforts to track down the source of a leak of classified US documents, including those on Ukrainian counter-offensive plans, Russian forces bombarded frontline cities in eastern Ukraine with air strikes and artillery attacks.

The Ukrainian general staff reported on Tuesday that the Russians continued their offensive in the eastern Donetsk region, where numerous cities and towns came under heavy bombardment.

According to the report, several attacks by the Russian military were repelled by Ukrainian forces as they continued to try and seize Bakhmut.

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An influential Ukrainian commander charged Moscow with employing "scorched earth" methods. "From Syria, the enemy shifted to'scorched earth' strategies. Bakhmut is destroying structures and positions with airstrikes and artillery fire, according to Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi, head of Ukraine's ground forces.

Donetsk's battle for control of the small, now largely destroyed city on the outskirts of a section of Russian-controlled territory has been the bloodiest of the 13-month conflict as Moscow attempts to revive its campaign following recent setbacks. The fighting in Bakhmut has resulted in significant casualties on both sides, but Syrskyi remarked that "the situation is difficult but controllable."

Denis Pushilin, the head of the Donetsk region under Moscow control, reported that Russian forces now possessed 75% of the city, but he cautioned that it was still too early to discuss Bakhmut's fall.

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The city of Avdiivka was also a target for Moscow's military.

As the fighting continued, US broadcaster CNN reported that Ukraine had to change some military plans prior to its eagerly anticipated counteroffensive because dozens of confidential documents had leaked.

In addition to examining how they share information internally and dealing with the diplomatic fallout, US officials are attempting to identify the source of the leak.

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The documents cover a variety of subjects, including information on the conflict in Ukraine, in which Washington has provided Kiev with massive quantities of weapons and taken the lead in leading international condemnation of Moscow's invasion.