Russia-Ukraine updates: Putin says war was ‘unleashed’ on Russia

The Russian president delivered his annual Victory Day speech.

More than a year after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of neighboring Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, the countries are fighting for control of areas in eastern and southern Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's forces are readying a spring counteroffensive, but Putin appears to be preparing for a long and bloody war.

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WSJ 'vehemently denies' spying allegation against reporter

The Wall Street Journal said on Thursday that it "vehemently denies" the spying allegations brought by Russia's intelligence service against its reporter.

"The Wall Street Journal vehemently denies the allegations from the FSB and seeks the immediate release of our trusted and dedicated reporter, Evan Gershkovich," a spokesperson for the WSJ said in a statement to ABC News. "We stand in solidarity with Evan and his family."

The FSB said it detained Gershkovich in the city of Ekaterinburg, in central Russia, and accused him of collecting "state secrets" on an enterprise belonging to Russia's military industrial complex on behalf of the United States.


WSJ reporter detained in Russia on spying charge

Russia's FSB intelligence agency said on Thursday it had detained a journalist working for The Wall Street Journal on spying charges.

Russian state media cited an FSB statement saying Evan Gershkovich was detained in Ekaterinburg, a city in central Russia, and accusing him of collecting "state secrets" on an enterprise belonging to Russia's military industrial complex on behalf of the United States.

A criminal case has been opened against him, the officials said.

"It is established that Evan Gershkovich, acting on the instruction of the American side, was collecting information consisting of state secrets, about the activity of one of the enterprises of the Russian military industrial complex. He was arrested in Ekaterinburg during an attempt to receive secret information," Russian media said, quoting FSB officials.

Earlier reports from local media said that Gershkovich had been in Ekaterinburg reporting on the Wagner private military company.

Gershkovich is a reporter for the WSJ covering Russia, Ukraine and the former Soviet Union. He previously reported for Agence France-Presse and The Moscow Times, according to his WSJ profile. He also served as a news assistant at The New York Times.

-ABC News Tanya Stukalova and Patrick Reevell


US will support special tribunal to try 'crime of aggression' against Russia

The U.S. will support the creation of a special tribunal to prosecute top Kremlin officials for Russia's aggression toward Ukraine, State Department officials said Tuesday, marking a significant shift for the Biden administration and a notable step toward outlining what accountability on the international stage might look like after the conflict.

A department spokesperson said the administration envisioned the tribunal would take the form of an international court that is "rooted in Ukraine's judicial system" but ideally located in another European country.

The spokesperson added that such a mechanism would work to "facilitate broader international support and demonstrate Ukraine's leadership in ensuring accountability for the crime of aggression" as well as "maximize the chances of achieving meaningful accountability for the crime of aggression."

Ukraine and other Western countries have long called for a special tribunal, but until now, the U.S. has not publicly declared if it would support the creation of a new structure.

-ABC News' Shannon K. Crawford


2 dead, 29 hurt in Russian missile strike on Sloviansk

At least two people were killed and 29 were injured Monday morning when a pair of long-range Russian missiles slammed into buildings in a city in eastern Ukraine, Ukrainian officials said.

The two S-300 Russian missiles hit administrative and office buildings, and private homes in Sloviansk, according to Pavlo Kyrylenko, the regional governor.

Sloviansk is in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, where heavy fighting has been waged since the start of the war.

The missiles struck the city around 10:30 a.m. local time, Kyrylenko said.

He said the town of Druzhkivka in the Donetsk region was also targeted in Monday's missile attacks. Kyrylenko said a Russian missile "almost completely destroyed" an orphanage in Druzhkivka, but there were no immediate reports of casualties.

"Another day that began with terrorism by the Russian Federation," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a statement.

Zelenskyy said Ukraine "will not forgive the torturing of our people."

"All Russian terrorists will be defeated," Zelenskyy said. "Everyone involved in this aggression will be held to account."

ABC's Will Gretsky


Russia to move tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus' western border

Russia plans to move tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus to the country's western borders, Boris Gryzlov, the Russian ambassador to Belarus, said Sunday.

Gryzlov's announcement comes just three days after Russia and the United States clashed in the United Nations over the Kremlin's plans to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus. U.S. officials denounced the move as a desperate attempt by Russia to avoid military defeat and “threaten the world with nuclear apocalypse."

Gryzlov said in an address aired on the Belarusian STV channel that tactical nuclear weapons "will be moved to the western borders of our Union State and will increase the possibilities for ensuring our security."

The western border of Belarus is shared by Poland, a NATO country supporting Ukraine. Russian forces have used Belarus as a staging ground for the war in Ukraine.

"This will be done despite the noise in Europe and the United States," Gryzlov said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the decision and slammed Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, saying he "no longer decides which weapons are on his territory."

"And does (Vladimir) Putin threaten the world? Of course, if Ukraine does not resist, it will fall, Putin will move on, we have emphasized this many times," Zelenskyy said. "With the help of our friends and partners, our army will stand firm and win what is rightfully ours. Victory and our independence."

-ABC News' Will Gretsky