Russia-Ukraine war live updates: Moscow has broken international ...

See our full coverage here.The Associated PressUNITED NATIONS — U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says there is no chance at the moment for a humanitarian cease-fire in Ukraine, as the United Nations was seeking.But he told reporters Wednesday that the U.N. has made a number of proposals to Russia on the possibility of local cease-fires, humanitarian corridors, and the evacuation of civilians, “and we are waiting for an answer.”Guterres sent U.N. humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths to Moscow and Kyiv as his special envoy to seek a humanitarian cease-fire, but he said, “at the present moment, a global cease-fire in Ukraine doesn’t seem possible.”He said the U.N. proposals to Russia are aimed at minimizing “the dramatic impact” of Russia’s war against Ukraine on civilians and include creating “a mechanism” involving Russia, Ukraine, the United Nations and eventually other humanitarian bodies to permanently manage local cease-fires, humanitarian access and evacuations to avoid incidents and failures.As for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s reported comment Tuesday that negotiations with Ukraine are at a “dead end,” Guterres said, “I will remind you that we are in an Easter period and the Easter period is about resurrection.”Elisha FieldstadtPresident Joe Biden said he spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday to share that he was authorizing an additional $800 million in weapons."This new package of assistance will contain many of the highly effective weapons systems we have already provided and new capabilities tailored to the wider assault we expect Russia to launch in eastern Ukraine," Biden said in a statement. The fifth and latest package of measures focuses on finance, transport, and trade — notably bans on imports of coal, wood, cement, seafood, and vodka that “serve as important sources of revenue for Russia,” the government said.An extra 200 people or entities were also sanctioned including Russian oligarchs and their families, as well as Putin’s adult daughters Katerina Tikhonova and Maria Vorontsova.Elisha FieldstadtUkraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Oleg Nikolenko decried French President Emmanuel Macron's Wednesday assertion that Russia's actions in Ukraine did not amount to “genocide" because Russians and Ukrainians are "brothers." Nikolenko called Macron's remarks "disappointing." "Ukraine and Russia are historically close for objective reasons, but the myth of two fraternal nations of Russia and Ukraine began to collapse after the occupation of Crimea and aggression in Donbas in 2014," he said. "We warn you that the U.S.-NATO transports with weapons following the Ukrainian territory are considered by us as legitimate military targets.""We bring the Americans and other Westerners to the understanding that attempts to slow down our special operation, inflict maximum damage to Russian contingents and formations of the DPR/LPR (Donetsk People’s Republic and Luhansk People's Republic) will be severely suppressed," he said.Ryabkov had issued a similar warning back in March, saying the U.S. had been warned that Russia would see the deliveries of Western weapons to Ukraine as targets.Chantal Da Silva and ReutersRussian President Vladimir Putin has suggested Moscow can easily redirect exports of its energy resources away from the West to countries "where they are really needed" and boost domestic consumption of oil, gas and coal. Similar claims seeking to pin violence on Ukraine have circulated on social media from profiles that have routinely trafficked in Russian talking points, though the fake BBC video appears to be among the most advanced disinformation released in relation to the war.BBC News said it is trying to have the fake videos removed from social media.NBC NewsAn aerial view captured on Tuesday shows the besieged city of Mariupol during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.Chantal Da SilvaEstonia's prime minister has said it is "becoming clear" that atrocities carried out by Russian forces in Ukraine amount to "genocide." "Looking at the Kremlin's words and deeds, it's becoming clear that Russia's crimes committed in Ukraine can amount to genocide," Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said in a tweet Wednesday. Russian provides 40 per cent of Europe's gas supply.Mithil Aggarwal and Oksana ParafeniukUkrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar has warned that the risk of Russia using chemical weapons in the war remains “high.”“It is too early to return, including to the capital,” she said in an interview with Ukraine's Parliamentary TV channel on Wednesday. Zelenskyy has warned of a ramped-up Russian offensive in Ukraine's east.Mithil AggarwalRussia's recent appointment of Army Gen. Alexander Dvornikov as the commander of the war in Ukraine represents a bid to centralize "command and control" after a lack of coordination hampered Moscow's invasion, the British defense ministry has said.In an intelligence update published Wednesday, it said that “ineffective pre-war planning” and Ukrainian resistance have forced Russia to reassess its operations, refocusing its offensive in the eastern region of Donbas.Dvornikov, who has previous led operations in Syria, has commanded Russia’s southern district which borders Ukraine’s Donbas region since 2016, it said.Mithil Aggarwal and Mariia UlianovskaHumanitarian corridors will not open Wednesday in Ukraine after Russia violated a cease-fire and blocked evacuation efforts, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said Wednesday.In a post on Telegram, she said that the Russian military had blocked evacuation buses in Zaphorizhzhia and violated a cease-fire in the eastern region of Luhansk. Ukrainian officials have repeatedly accused Russia of hampering humanitarian efforts, especially out of the besieged port city of Mariupol, where thousands of residents remain without access to food, water, electricity and other essentials.“All this creates such a level of danger on the routes that we have to refrain from opening humanitarian corridors today,” she said.Chantal Da SilvaNew satellite images appear to show Russian troops advancing on Ukraine's east this week, as British and European officials warn Moscow is preparing to mount a fresh offensive in the region.