LIVE Russia-Ukraine crisis: US weighing high level official visit to Kyiv

Russia said on Thursday the flagship of its Black Sea fleet was seriously damaged and its crew evacuated following an explosion that a Ukrainian official said was the result of a missile strike.

Russia's defence ministry said a fire on the Moskva missile cruiser caused ammunition to blow up, Interfax news agency reported.

It did not say what caused the fire but Maksym Marchenko, the Ukrainian governor of the region around the Black Sea port of Odesa, said the Moskva had been hit by two Ukrainian-made Neptune anti-ship cruise missiles.

Russia's navy has launched cruise missiles into Ukraine and its operations in the Black Sea are crucial to supporting land operations in south and east Ukraine.

Russia said 1,026 soldiers from Ukraine's 36th Marine Brigade, including 162 officers, had surrendered in Mariupol and that the city was fully under its control.

"Russian forces are increasing their activities on the southern and eastern fronts, attempting to avenge their defeats," President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a Wednesday night video address.

The United States said on Wednesday it would send an extra $800 million worth of military hardware to Ukraine including artillery, armoured personnel carriers and helicopters. France and Germany also pledged more.

Here are the latest developments on April 14:

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11.15am: Russia accuses Ukraine of shelling border town, injuring residents

The governor of Russia's southern Bryansk region on Thursday accused the Ukrainian army of shelling a Russian town about 10 kilometres (six miles) from their joint border, injuring civilians.

"Today the Ukrainian Armed Forces fired at the town of Klimovo. As a result of the shelling, two residential buildings were damaged and some of the residents are injured," governor Alexander Bogomaz said on Telegram.

He added that emergency services were working at the scene and residents receiving "medical care".

A representative of Russia's Health Ministry told the RIA Novosti news agency that seven people were injured in the alleged attack by Ukrainian forces.

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12.24pm: Russia opens criminal cases into alleged torture of its soldiers by Ukraine

Russia’s Investigative Committee said on Thursday it was opening criminal cases into Ukrainian servicemen’s alleged torture of their Russian counterparts as Moscow continues its military campaign in Ukraine.

The committee, which probes major crimes, said some Russian soldiers had been captured by Ukrainian forces in the Zaporizhzhia and Mykolaiv regions and held illegally by Ukraine’s security service.

More details here

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11.46am: Russia warns Nato over Sweden and Finland membership

Russia on Thursday warned Nato that if Sweden and Finland joined the military alliance then Russia would have to bolster its defences and that there could be no more talk of a 'nuclear free' Baltic.

"There can be no more talk of any nuclear–free status for the Baltic - the balance must be restored," said Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council.

More details here

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11.15am: Nine humanitarian corridors agreed for Thursday