(Updates prices) By Seher Dareen (Reuters) – Palladium rose 4.5% to a near six-month peak on Wednesday, driven by fears of a hit to supply from top producer Russia, while gold firmed above the key $1,900 level as Ukraine declared a state of emergency. Russia is the world’s third-largest producer of gold, while the country’s Nornickel is also a major producer of palladium and platinum, both of which are used in catalytic converters to clean car exhaust fumes. Russia produced 2.6 million troy ounces of palladium last year, or 40% of global mine production, and 641,000 ounces of platinum, or abou…