Zelenskyy says Ukraine needs allies to speed up weapons deliveries

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Tuesday that his country needed "a significant acceleration" in deliveries of weaponry from its partners to enable its troops to face advancing Russian troops in several sectors of the front line.

Zelenskyy, looking stern, made his comments in his nightly video address amid an acknowledgement from his top commander that Ukraine's forces have pulled back from villages in some of the most hotly contested sectors in the two-year-old war.

"We need a significant acceleration of supplies to enhance tangibly the capabilities of our soldiers," Zelenskyy said.

He pointed specifically to deliveries of U.S. weapons, after a six-month slowdown in supplies, as critical in righting the situation at key points along the 1,000-kilometres front line.

"We are very much counting on prompt deliveries from the United States," he said.

"These supplies must make themselves felt in disrupting the logistics of the occupiers, in making them afraid to base themselves anywhere on occupied territory and in our strength."

'We must push them out': Zelenskyy

As he listed areas in the east and northeast where fighting remains intense, Zelenskyy said: "That is, anywhere where Russia is pressing and where we must push them out. And where new assault threats may arise."

The United States says supplies are beginning to reach Ukraine after sharp reductions owing to months of congressional wrangling.

Russia has said its forces have captured several villages in the east after its capture in February of the town of Avdiivka.

Top Ukrainian commander Oleksander Syrskyi has said Russian forces had set a goal of capturing the key town of Chasiv Yar — northeast of Avdiivka — to coincide with Russia's May 9 commemoration of the Soviet victory in the Second World War.

2 Kharkiv districts attacked

In Kharkiv on Tuesday, officials said Russian guided bombs targeting a railway killed at least one person and damaged civilian infrastructure.

Two districts of the city came under attack, regional Gov. Oleh Synehubov said on Telegram, adding that at least nine people had been injured.

Ukraine's state railway company said one of its employees who was in his twenties had been killed.

"This is another targeted strike by the enemy on the civilian railway infrastructure," Ukrainian Railways said on Telegram. It gave no details of the infrastructure damage.

Administrative and civilian buildings and some cars were damaged as a result of the strikes, Synehubov added.

Russia was targeting railway lines in an attempt to disrupt U.S. weapons deliveries, a Kyiv intelligence source said. Russia's defence minister said Moscow would increase attacks on logistics centres.

3 dead in missile attack: Odesa governor

Hours later, Oleh Kiper, the regional governor of Odesa, said a Russian missile attack killed three people and injured three others in the Ukrainian port early on Wednesday.

Kiper, writing on the Telegram messaging app, said the attack damaged civilian infrastructure.

He said the strike was carried out by a ballistic missile, but provided no further details.

Kiper and Odesa Mayor Hennadii Trukhanov had reported a series of loud explosions.

Reuters could not independently confirm the accounts. Russia says it does not deliberately target civilians.