Six Ukrainian soldiers killed, fighting rages at airport -Kiev officials

Six Ukrainian soldiers have been killed in attacks by separatists in the past 24 hours, the Kiev military said on Friday as fighting raged at the international airport in the big eastern city of Donetsk.        

"Six of our servicemen have been killed as a result of combat activity and another 18 have been wounded in the past 24 hours," military spokesman Andriy Lysenko told journalists.        

A presidential adviser, Yuri Biryukov, said separatists had launched a full-scale attack on the airport at Donetsk to try to dislodge government forces who have tenuous control on the complex.         

"They (the separatists) launched a full storm from this morning. We have wounded on our side. There is hot combat going on there and the tension and the situation there is the worst I have seen," Biryukov wrote on his Facebook page.  

On another note, Finance Minister Natalia Yaresko said on Friday that Ukraine needs "financial mobilization" and further help from foreign backers to survive the economic crisis, stressing that the country was meeting all its current foreign debt obligations.        

Economists have warned the country could face a drastic debt restructuring, unless international lenders beef up existing loan offers to plug an estimated $15 billion funding gap.         

"To win in this war, together with the military we need to carry out financial mobilization," Yaresko told parliament, underscoring the link between Ukraine's financial plight and the separatist conflict in its eastern regions.           

"To survive, Ukraine needs the financial support of its friends and partners - its a question of loans, not gifts," she said.         

Talks with the International Monetary Fund on an existing $17 billion loan package have been overshadowed by hints from Russia it might demand early repayment of a $3 billion loan due to Ukraine violating its terms.       

"Despite the information campaign about the supposed insolvency of Ukraine, I declare Ukraine today is fulfilling all aspects of its external financial obligations," Yaresko said.