News - Middle East: An investigative report shows how Eastern European arms manufacturers have multiplied their profits by exponentially increasing their weapon deliveries to Ukraine since the onset of a Russian military operation against Kiev.

"Eastern Europe's arms industry is churning out guns, artillery shells, and other military supplies at a pace not seen since the Cold War as governments in the region lead efforts to aid Ukraine in its fight against Russia," Reuters reported on Thursday.

Russia started the military campaign in its southern neighbor in February. It says it launched the operation in order to defend the pro-Russian population in the eastern Ukrainian regions of Luhansk and Donetsk against persecution by Kiev.

Back in 2014, the two republics broke away from Ukraine, refusing to recognize a Western-backed Ukrainian government there that had overthrown a democratically-elected Russia-friendly administration.

Ever since the beginning of the war, Kiev's allies, led by the United States and Britain, have been pumping Ukraine full of advanced weapons, a step that Russia says would only prolong the hostilities.