Ukrainian officials say Russian forces are being driven out of villages near the major northeastern city.

• Ukraine says Russians being pushed back near Kharkiv
• US House passes fresh $40 billion Ukraine aid package
• Ukrainians mourn first post-Soviet President Leonid Kravchuk

This article was last updated at 08:26 IST

Ukrainian troops to begin howitzer training in Germany

Ukrainian soldiers are expected to begin howitzer training in Germany on Wednesday.

The service members arrived in Germany on Tuesday, the dpa news agency reported. The German-built self-propelled howitzers are operated by five soldiers each.

Training is expected to last around 40 days. According to dpa, the training will occur at the Bundeswehr's artillery school in Idar-Oberstein in the western German state of Rhineland-Palatinate.

Ukraine to shut off some Russian gas flows

Ukraine is expected to shut off some Russian gas flows in the country at 7 a.m. local time Wednesday.

Ukraine's gas operator announced it would redirect gas from the Sokhranivka transit point, which is located in Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory. The gas will thus be redirected to another transit point in an area still under control of the Ukrainian government.

Ukraine's gas operator said some 32.6 million cubic meters of gas will be halted by the decision.

"The company repeatedly informed Gazprom about gas transit threats due to the actions of the Russian-controlled occupation forces and stressed stopping interference in the operation of the facilities, but these appeals were ignored," the operator said.

A spokesperson for Russia's state-owned natural gas company Gazprom said he sees no grounds for Ukraine's decision.

US House approves fresh $40 billion Ukraine aid package

The US House of Representatives agreed to a fresh $40 billion (nearly €38 billion) in assistance for Ukraine.

The money will include funds for defense, humanitarian and economic needs in Ukraine.

No House Democrats voted against the measure, but dozens of Republican members opposed the bill.

The Senate is also expected to pass the measure at the end of this week or next week. President Joe Biden would then sign the bill.

Senate Democratic Majority Leader Chuck Schumer earlier called on both chambers of Congress to act quickly on the legislation.

Zelenskyy says Russia being pushed out of areas near Kharkiv

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, along with other Ukrainian officials, said Russian forces are gradually being pushed away from areas surrounding the major northeastern city of Kharkiv.

In his nightly video address, Zelenskyy praised the reported territorial gains and said he was "grateful to all of our protectors who are fighting back and showing truly superhuman strength to drive off the invaders' army."

But he also called on his people "not to spread excessive emotions."

"We should not create an atmosphere of excessive moral pressure, where victories are expected weekly and even daily," Zelenskyy said.

Tetiana Apatchenko, a press officer for the main Ukrainian force in the region, said four towns north of Kharkiv had been recaptured from Russian troops in recent days. The reports could not be independently verified.

Kharkiv and its surrounds have been under sustained Russian attack since early in the war.

Summary of Tuesday's events in Russia's war on Ukraine

Ukraine's first post-Soviet president, Leonid Kravchuk, died at the age of 88. Ukrainian presidential aide Andriy Yermak called his passing a "great loss."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also honored Kravchuk in his nightly video address.

Kravchuk oversaw Ukraine's development of ties with the West, and its transition to a market economy. He also pledged to to give up Ukraine's nuclear weapons in exchange for security guarantees in a 1994 deal called the Budapest Memorandum.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock visited Ukraine in an unannounced trip. Germany's top diplomat visited the city of Bucha near Kyiv, where Russian troops are said to have engaged in alleged war crimes.

Baerbock vowed to bring the perpetrators of the Bucha killings to justice. She also visited the Kyiv suburb of Irpin, which had seen massive destruction due to the war.

Baerbock also met with Zelenskyy and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba during the Kyiv visit.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres met with Ukrainian refugees in Moldova during his two-day visit to the Eastern European nation.

At the same time, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said he is concerned the focus on Ukrainian refugees could detract from other crises, such as the plight of Syrian refugees in the Middle East.

US Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines said Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready for a long war in Ukraine. She told the Senate Armed Services Committee that Putin is expecting Western revolve to weaken over time.

As Russia's war on Ukraine threatens European security, the defense commitee in Finland's parliament said it is in favor of the country's bid for NATO membership.

Swedish Defense Minister Peter Hultqvist said the Nordic region is "stronger" with both Sweden and Finland in NATO.

The UN said the death toll in Ukraine is "thousands higher" than the reported official figure of 3,381.