Ukraine separatists urge Russia to send modern weapons

A Ukrainian separatist leader on Thursday urged Russia to send modern weapons to the breakaway statelets to help them defend themselves against Western-backed Kyiv forces.

Denis Pushilin spoke after Russia’s ruling party urged the Kremlin to start arming the separatist-held regions with tensions soaring between Moscow and the West.

“First and foremost, we need to counter the Bayraktars,” he told pro-Kremlin spin doctor Vladimir Solovyov in an online interview, referring to Turkish-made drones.

Solovyov said Russia was capable of supplying separatists with next-generation weapons instead of Kalashnikov assault rifles and Soviet-era machine guns.