Russian forces pounded the last Ukrainian strongholds as they surrounded the towns of Sievierodonetsk and nearby Lysychansk in the Donbas, officials said on Friday.

       As many as 1,500 people have been killed in fighting in the separatist-controlled eastern Ukrainian province, officials added, as Kyiv made an urgent plea for more weapons from western allies.

       Ukraine’s foreign minister warned that without a new injection of foreign weapons, its forces would not be able to stop Russia from seizing Sievierodonetsk and nearby Lysychansk.