Kyiv pleads for more arms

Armed and ready: A Ukrainian serviceman keeping his position not far from the Ukrainian town of Chuguiv, in Kharkiv region. – AFP

KYIV: Ukraine pleaded to Western countries for faster deliveries of weapons as better-armed Russian forces pounded the east of the country, and for humanitarian support to combat growing outbreaks of deadly diseases.

In Sievierodonetsk, the small city that has become the focus of Russia’s advance in eastern Ukraine and one of the bloodiest flashpoints in a war well into its fourth month, further heavy fighting was reported.