TOP HEADLINES

• Russia has charged Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich with espionage which the newspaper says is "categorically false."

• Ukraine's leaders discussed ways to prevent leaks of military information after secret documents detailing U.S. and NATO efforts to help the country plan a counter-offensive against Russia reportedly appeared on social media. 

• A Ukrainian official said there was a "very large amount of fictitious information" in the alleged leaked documents and the posts looked like a Russian disinformation operation to sow doubts about the offensive, which requires advanced Western weapons.

• Three civilians were killed and 17 wounded over the past 24 hours in Russian artillery, missile and aerial attacks on 114 settlements in nine regions, the Ukrainian defense ministry said.

• Alexei Moskalyov, a Russian man charged with discrediting the country's army after his daughter drew an anti-war picture, is being held in Belarus, TASS reported, citing the Russian embassy in the country.

• Russian legislators have proposed tougher sentences for those convicted of terrorism, high treason and sabotage, domestic news agencies reported.

• Ukraine's First Deputy Foreign Minister Emine Dzhaparova is due to visit India on Monday and will seek humanitarian aid and equipment to repair energy infrastructure damaged during the conflict with Russia, the Hindu newspaper reported.

• Türkiye has agreed to stop the transit of sanctioned Western goods to Russia after pressure from the G7, a U.S. official said, cautioning that Washington will monitor Ankara's trade data with Moscow.

• Ukraine can resume exporting  electricity after a six-month gap, given the success of repairs carried out after repeated Russian attacks, Energy Minister said.

• Russia's Gazprom said it would ship 37.2 million cubic meters of gas to Europe via Ukraine.

IN DETAIL

Wall Street journal says reporter's espionage charges are 'categorically false'

Moscow has formally charged U.S. journalist Evan Gershkovich with espionage with the accusations rejected both by the reporter and his employer.

The charges against Wall Street Journal correspondent Evan Gershkovich are the first of their kind in Russia since the fall of the Soviet Union, prompting an outcry from media outlets, rights groups and foreign governments.

Investigators from the FSB, the state security service that succeeded the KGB, "charged Gershkovich with espionage in the interests of his country," state-run agency TASS said, citing a law enforcement source. 

"He categorically denied all accusations and stated that he was engaged in journalistic activities in Russia," TASS added.

The Wall Street Journal, one of the leading U.S. newspapers, said it heard of the charges through the media reports and rejected them.

"As we've said from the beginning, these charges are categorically false and unjustified, and we continue to demand Evan's immediate release," the newspaper said in a statement.

It has previously called Gershkovich a "trusted and dedicated reporter." The case has been classified as secret, limiting the amount of information available. 

Washington has long accused Moscow of arbitrarily arresting Americans in order to secure the release of detained Russians.

U.S. President Joe Biden has called for Gershkovich's release. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre earlier described the allegation of espionage as "ridiculous."

The arrest led the State Department to summon the Russian ambassador and Secretary of State Antony Blinken pressed the case in a phone call to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, only their third one-on-one interaction since the Ukraine conflict began in February 2022.

The case has drawn bipartisan alarm in politically divided Washington, where the Democratic and Republican leaders of the Senate issued a rare joint statement Friday to seek Gershkovich's freedom.

"We strongly condemn the wrongful detention of US citizen and Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, and demand the immediate release of this internationally known and respected independent journalist," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Republican leader Mitch McConnell said.

"Let there be no mistake: journalism is not a crime," the Senate leaders wrote. "We demand the baseless, fabricated charges against Mr Gershkovich be dropped and he be immediately released." 

Russian officials insist Gershkovich was "caught red-handed" when he was detained in Yekaterinburg, some 1,100 miles east of Moscow.