Ukraine 'gaining ground' near Melitopol, Berdiansk - Ukraine military spokesman

June 21 (Reuters) - Ukrainian forces are gaining some ground towards Melitopol and Berdiansk in the Zaporizhzhia region, Andriy Kovalev, a spokesman for the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, said early on Wednesday.

"They had partial success, they are gaining ground," Kovalev was quoted as saying in a post on the Ukraine Military Media Center's Telegram channel, adding that the gains were near the settlements of Mala Tokmachka and Robotyne, among others.

Ukraine continues to hold back the advance of Russian troops in the east of the country, with "especially heavy fighting" taking place along near Lyman in the Donetsk region, he added. (Reporting by Lidia Kelly and Aleksandar Vasovic; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)