Live updates: US gives Ukrainians $800m in military aid, heavy arms to fight Russians

The New Arab's live coverage of the latest from the Russian invasion of Ukraine concludes for today.

Here were the key developments from Wednesday:

US announces additional $800 million in military aid to Ukraine

US President Joe Biden's administration on Wednesday announced an additional $800 million in military assistance to Ukraine, bringing the total aid tally since Russian forces invaded to more than $2.4 billion.

The package will include artillery systems, artillery rounds and armored personnel carriers, Biden said in a statement after a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

Moscow threatens to strike Kyiv command 'centres' if Ukraine keeps attacking Russia

The Russian military on Wednesday threatened to strike Ukraine's command centres in the capital Kyiv if Ukrainian troops continue to attack Russian territory.

"We are seeing Ukrainian troops' attempts to carry out sabotage and strike Russian territory," the Russian defence ministry said in a statement. "If such cases continue, the Russian armed forces will strike decision-making centres, including in Kyiv."

Since President Vladimir Putin sent troops to Ukraine on February 24, Moscow has accused Kyiv forces of attacking territory in southern Russian.

UN chief says Ukraine humanitarian ceasefire 'doesn't seem possible'

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Wednesday that a "ceasefire in Ukraine doesn't seem possible," indicating that the United Nations was still waiting for answers from Russia to proposals for evacuating civilians and delivering aid.

"That was our appeal for humanitarian reasons, but it doesn't seem possible," he said at a press conference.

Guterres recently sent UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths to Moscow and Kyiv with the goal of cementing a ceasefire.

Aid agencies have repeatedly tried to evacuate civilians from Ukrainian cities such as Mariupol, besieged for weeks by Russian invading forces.

Seven killed, 22 wounded by shelling in Ukraine's Kharkiv region, says governor

At least seven people were killed and 22 wounded by shelling in Ukraine's northeastern region of Kharkiv over the past 24 hours, Governor Oleh Synegubov said on Wednesday.

In an online post, he said a 2-year-old boy was among those killed in the 53 artillery or rocket strikes he said Russian forces had carried out in the past day in the region.

Russia says ammunition blast damages flagship of Black Sea fleet

The flagship of Russia's Black Sea fleet, the Moskva missile cruiser, was badly damaged when ammunition on board blew up, Interfax news agency quoted the defence ministry as saying on Thursday.

The blast is yet another military setback for Russia, which has suffered a series of blows since invading Ukraine on Feb. 24 in what Moscow calls a "special military operation" to "denazify" the country.

Interfax said all the crew had been evacuated. It cited the ministry as blaming the blast on a fire and said the cause was being investigated.

A Ukrainian official earlier said the Moskva had been hit by two anti-ship missiles but did not give any evidence. The 12,500 tonne ship usually has a crew of around 500.

Russia slaps sanctions on 398 members of US Congress

Russia said Wednesday it had introduced sanctions against 398 members of the US Congress in retaliation against Washington's punitive measures over Ukraine and said more sanctions would follow.

"Taking into account the sanctions the US is constantly introducing, further announcements of Russian countermeasures are planned in the near future," the foreign ministry in Moscow said in a statement, adding the sanctions included a ban on entry.

In a separate statement, the foreign ministry said that it had introduced sanctions against 87 members of the Senate of Canada and more measures will be announced soon due to Ottawa's "short-sighted" policies.

After Russian President Vladimir Putin sent troops to pro-Western Ukraine on February 24, the West slapped debilitating sanctions on Moscow including the exclusion of several banks from the SWIFT messaging system, a coal embargo and new restrictions on investments.

In coordinated action, Western countries have also announced the expulsion of dozens of Russian diplomats suspected of spying.

On Wednesday, Russia said it was expelling a senior Czech diplomat from the EU country's embassy in Moscow in a retaliatory step.

Zelensky calls Macron's refusal to talk of 'genocide' in Ukraine 'painful'

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday denounced French leader Emmanuel Macron's refusal to call killings in Ukraine "genocide" and his reference to Russians as a "brotherly" people.

"Such things are very painful for us, so I will definitely do my best to discuss this issue with him," Zelensky said at a press conference with the visiting leaders of Poland and the Baltic states.

The leaders of France and Germany declined Wednesday to repeat US President Joe Biden's accusation that Russia was carrying out "genocide" against Ukrainians, warning that verbal escalations would not help end the war.

Biden had accused Vladimir Putin's forces on Tuesday of committing genocide in Ukraine, saying it has "become clearer and clearer that Putin is just trying to wipe out the idea of even being able to be a Ukrainian".

Mayor of Ukraine's Kharkiv says bombing of city has increased significantly

Four civilian residents of Ukraine's eastern second city Kharkiv were killed and ten were wounded on Wednesday as Russian forces stepped up their bombing campaign of the city, local officials said.

"The enemy is bombing residential homes, residential areas. Unfortunately, there are civilian casualties - the worst thing is that children are dying," Kharkiv mayor Ihor Terekhov told Ukrainian national television.

Kharkiv region Governor Oleh Synehubov later wrote on the Telegram messaging app that four people were killed and ten wounded by strikes on the city on Wednesday.

Kharkiv has already come under significant Russian strikes, with Terekhov saying there hadn't been a single day without strikes since the start of the invasion on Feb. 24.

Ukrainian forces will need training on some military equipment: Pentagon

Some of the new military equipment the United States said on Wednesday it was sending to Ukraine will require training for Ukrainian forces, Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby told reporters.

"The systems that will probably require some additional training for Ukrainian forces are the howitzers (and) ... the counter artillery radar, not a very difficult system to operate, but it's not one that they have in their inventory," he said.

Kirby said the Pentagon tried to reach Russia's defense minister less than a week or so ago but there was no interest on the Russian side to talk.

U.S. announces additional $800 million in military aid to Ukraine

US President Joe Biden's administration on Wednesday announced an additional $800 million in military assistance to Ukraine, bringing the total aid tally since Russian forces invaded to more than $2.4 billion.

The package will include artillery systems, artillery rounds and armored personnel carriers, Biden said in a statement after a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

Moscow threatens to strike Kyiv command 'centres' if Ukraine keeps attacking Russia

The Russian military on Wednesday threatened to strike Ukraine's command centres in the capital Kyiv if Ukrainian troops continue to attack Russian territory.

"We are seeing Ukrainian troops' attempts to carry out sabotage and strike Russian territory," the Russian defence ministry said in a statement. "If such cases continue, the Russian armed forces will strike decision-making centres, including in Kyiv."

Since President Vladimir Putin sent troops to Ukraine on February 24, Moscow has accused Kyiv forces of attacking territory in southern Russian.

Earlier this month Russian troops pulled back from areas north of Kyiv and are now refocusing their efforts on capturing more territory in eastern Ukraine.

The Russian defence ministry confirmed that its troops had now full control of the port in the besieged city of Mariupol.

The ministry added that Ukrainian troops and members of the Azov battalion had been encircled and "deprived of the opportunity to escape".

UN chief says Ukraine humanitarian ceasefire 'doesn't seem possible'

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Wednesday that a "ceasefire in Ukraine doesn't seem possible," indicating that the United Nations was still waiting for answers from Russia to proposals for evacuating civilians and delivering aid.

"That was our appeal for humanitarian reasons, but it doesn't seem possible," he said at a press conference.

Guterres recently sent UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths to Moscow and Kyiv with the goal of cementing a ceasefire.

Aid agencies have repeatedly tried to evacuate civilians from Ukrainian cities such as Mariupol, besieged for weeks by Russian invading forces.

Asked if he believed a "genocide" was underway in Ukraine, as US President Joe Biden said on Tuesday, the UN chief was careful not to use the term.

"Genocide is strictly defined in international law. And for the UN, we rely on the final legal determination by the appropriate judicial bodies," he said, noting that an investigation into the war in Ukraine had been opened by the International Criminal Court based in The Hague.

UN warns of trafficking as 40,000 more flee Ukraine

More than 40,000 more Ukrainian refugees fled in 24 hours, the United Nations said Wednesday, as it warned of traffickers seeking to exploit vulnerable women and children on the move.

The UN refugee agency UNHCR said 4,656,509 Ukrainians had fled since Russia invaded on February 24 -- a figure up 40,679 on Tuesday's update.

Women and children account for 90 percent of those who have left Ukraine, with men aged 18 to 60 eligible for military call-up and unable to leave.

"The Ukrainian refugee crisis is a protection crisis for women and children," said UNHCR assistant high commissioner Gillian Triggs.

More than 3 million people have now fled Ukraine to seek safety – the vast majority are women and children.

They are particularly vulnerable to the risk of human trafficking.

See what UNHCR is doing to help #EndHumanTrafficking: https://t.co/OHnVIvnxUb via @refugees pic.twitter.com/v5gZ6wrmIg

— United Nations (@UN) March 19, 2022

Nearly two-thirds of all Ukrainian children have been forced from their homes, including those still inside the country.

"It is impossible to gauge how many Ukrainian refugee women and children might have been preyed upon by traffickers. So far, known cases are thankfully few," said refugee protection chief Triggs.

"But we are on high alert and warning refugees on the risks of predators and criminal networks who may attempt to exploit their vulnerability or lure them with promises of free transport, accommodation, employment or other forms of assistance.

"While the generosity and solidarity towards Ukrainian refugees has been inspiring, states must prevent predatory individuals and criminal networks from exploiting the situation."

The UN's International Organization for Migration estimates that 7.1 million people have fled their homes but are still in Ukraine.

Germany rejects EU oil embargo on Russia

Germany has rejected a European Union ban on Russian oil at the moment and continues to oppose payments in roubles for Russian energy, a government spokesperson said on Wednesday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin had threatened to cut off gas supplies unless foreign buyers paid in roubles, as he tries to hit back against sweeping Western sanctions imposed on Russian banks, companies, businessmen and associates of the Kremlin in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

A spokesperson for the economy ministry said German companies continue to pay for Russian gas deliveries in euros.

Earlier on Wednesday, the country's leading economic institutes said that an immediate end to Russian energy imports would send Germany into a "sharp recession" next year.

Before Moscow began its invasion, a third of Germany's oil imports, 45 percent of its coal purchases and 55 percent of gas imports came via pipelines from Russia.

Germany has so far resisted calls for a European boycott in response to the war in Ukraine.

Putin's 'man in Ukraine' has been captured by Ukrainian forces, President Zelensky has announced.

A number of leading Russian officers have also been killed in Ukraine.

Breaking. Zelensky has just announced that secret services have captured Putin’s best friend in Ukraine Viktor Medvedchuk. He had been on the run. pic.twitter.com/HT05x2PMmh

— Oliver Carroll (@olliecarroll) April 12, 2022

Seven killed, 22 wounded by shelling in Ukraine's Kharkiv region, says governor

At least seven people were killed and 22 wounded by shelling in Ukraine's northeastern region of Kharkiv over the past 24 hours, Governor Oleh Synegubov said on Wednesday.

In an online post, he said a 2-year-old boy was among those killed in the 53 artillery or rocket strikes he said Russian forces had carried out in the past day in the region.

Russia denies targeting civilians.

'Too dangerous' for humanitarian corridors Wednesday: Ukraine

Ukraine said Wednesday it was halting all humanitarian corridors allowing for the evacuation of civilians from war-scarred regions of the country, accusing Russian forces of violating agreements to allow people to flee.

"Unfortunately, we are not opening them today. The situation along the routes is too dangerous and we are forced to refrain from opening humanitarian corridors today," Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said in a statement on social media.

⚡️ No humanitarian corridors on April 13.

Russian troops block evacuation buses and violate the ceasefire agreement, forcing Ukraine to refrain from opening humanitarian corridors due to “the level of danger on the routes,” according to Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk.

— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) April 13, 2022

She said that around Zaporizhzhia in the south, Russian forces were blocking buses used in the evacuations and that in the east Lugansk region Moscow's army was violating an agreement to halt shooting while people escape.

"The occupiers not only disregard the norms of international humanitarian law, but also cannot properly control their people on the ground," Vereshchuk said on Telegram.

Ukrainian authorities have been urging people in the southeastern Donbas region of the country to quickly move west in advance of a feared, large-scale Russian offensive to capture the region.

In the eastern Ukraine city of Kramatorsk, Russian forces allegedly struck a train station used for evacuations recently, leaving more than 50 people dead.

Vereshchuk said Wednesday that work was underway to resume work along humanitarian routes "as soon as possible."

Ukraine has foiled a Russian cyberattack on one of its largest energy facilities, officials said, as the country prepares for an expected offensive by Moscow's forces in the east.

The attack was carried out by Sandworm, a hacker group with ties to Russia's intelligence services, according to Ukraine's Computer Emergency Response Team.