Russia's war on Ukraine latest: Russia charges U.S. correspondent with spying

* The head of Russia's Wagner mercenary group said the fighting for Bakhmut had inflicted severe damage on his own forces as well as the Ukrainian side. * Reuters could not verify battlefield reports.

Russia on Thursday charged an American correspondent for the Wall Street Journal with spying, in a case certain to escalate Moscow's diplomatic feud with Washington over the war in Ukraine and likely to further isolate Russia. U.S. REPORTER'S ARREST

* A Moscow court ruled that a U.S. journalist for the Wall Street Journal should be detained for nearly two months on suspicion of spying, the most serious move against a foreign journalist since Russia invaded Ukraine and one quickly condemned by Washington. * The U.S. State Department is in direct contact with the Russian government over Moscow's reported detention of a Wall Street Journal reporter, the White House said.

* Russia said it would grant the United States consular access to detained Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was remanded in custody earlier, accused of spying. ON THE BATTLEFIELD

* Ukraine acknowledged some Russian gains inside the eastern battlefield city of Bakhmut while insisting it was inflicting greater losses on the Russian attackers than its own forces were taking in defence. * The head of Russia's Wagner mercenary group said the fighting for Bakhmut had inflicted severe damage on his own forces as well as the Ukrainian side.

* Reuters could not verify battlefield reports. DIPLOMACY, NUCLEAR WEAPONS

*The U.S. said it had imposed sanctions on a Slovakian man for trying to arrange the sale of over two dozen types of North Korean weapons and munitions to Russia to help Moscow replace military equipment lost in its war with Ukraine. * The United States has new information that Russia is actively seeking to acquire additional weapons from North Korea in exchange for food aid, the White House said.

* Pope Francis has evoked the conflict in Ukraine as he called war "madness" and argued that "even in cases of self-defence, peace is the ultimate goal". * Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Moscow was still talking to the International Atomic Energy Agency head about the idea of a safety zone around the Zaporizhzhia plant, Russian news agencies reported.

* China's military is willing to work together with the Russian military to strengthen strategic communication and coordination, the Chinese defence ministry said. * King Charles highlighted the historic ties between Britain and Germany while lauding their current unity in the face of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in an address to the Bundestag.

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QUOTE "Bakhmut remains the epicenter of military activity. It's still constantly 'hot' there," - Ukrainian military spokesperson Serhiy Cherevatyi.

(Compiled by Reuters editors)

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)