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| Ukrainian soldiers in the city of Severodonetsk, in the Donbas region |
International Military - Ukraine is pleading with Western countries for faster arms deliveries, as better-armed Russian troops pound the east of the country.
In Sievierodonetsk, the small town that has become the focus of Russia's advance in eastern Ukraine and one of the bloodiest flashpoints in the war, which is entering its fourth month. In this city, it is reported that fierce street fighting continues.
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In this zone, artillery strength is key. That means victory for Ukraine can only come if Washington and others fulfill promises to deliver more and better weaponry, including rocket systems.
"It's an artillery war now," Vadym Skibitsky, Ukraine's deputy head of military intelligence, told Britain's Guardian newspaper. "Everything now depends on what (the West) gives us. Ukraine has one artillery to 10 to 15 Russian artillery pieces," he continued.
Germany is among the biggest arms suppliers since Russia invaded, but has been criticized for being slow to supply the heavy weapons Kiev says it needs. Now, Germany plans to revise its rules on arms exports to make it easier to arm democracies like Ukraine, Der Spiegel reported on Friday.
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Apart from asking for arms support, Ukraine is also asking for humanitarian support to fight the growing outbreak of the deadly disease. In the south, the mayor of Mariupol said the sanitation system was broken and bodies were rotting on the streets. "There is an outbreak of dysentery and cholera," Vadym Boichenko told national television.
"A war that took the lives of more than 20,000 inhabitants, unfortunately with this outbreak of infection, will claim thousands more Mariupolits," he said. Read: Ukraine attacks Russian positions in Kherson According to him, several wells have been contaminated by corpses.
Boichenko called on the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross to build humanitarian corridors to allow the remaining residents to leave the city, which is now under Russian control.
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In a broader picture of the war's repercussions, the UN's food agency said reduced exports of wheat and other food commodities from Ukraine and Russia could lead to chronic hunger for up to 19 million more people globally over the next year.