Ukraine updates: Russia gaining ground in Bakhmut, says UK

The UK's Ministry of Defense (MOD) said that  "Russian forces have regained some momentum in the battle for Bakhmut" in recent days, according to an intelligence update published on Friday.

The eastern Ukrainian city remains at the heart of a grinding battle of attrition as Russian forces attempt to capture the strategically important location.

A Ukrainian military official told Reuters news agency that Kyiv's forces are continuing to hold out in Bakhmut on Friday. Eastern Military Command spokesperson Serhiy Cherevatyi acknowledged, however, that Ukrainian troops were facing a "difficult" situation.

The MOD's latest intelligence briefing said that Russia had made more gains and "has now highly likely advance into the town center."

Russian forces have gained control of the west bank of the Bakhmuta River and a key supply route for Ukraine to the west of the city was "likely severely threatened," the ministry said.

It was probable that Russian regular forces, which likely included airborne elements, had reinforced the area, while Russian artillery was being used more effectively in the area, the MOD said.

The briefing also mentioned there was  a "realistic probability" that the leadership from Russian private mercenary company, the Wagner Group, and Russian military commanders had halted an ongoing feud and had managed to improve cooperation.

On Thursday, Wagner Group's Yevgeny Progozhin said there was no indication that Ukrainian forces were about to abandon the city of Bakhmut, although Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had raised the prospect of a possible withdrawal should defending forces come at risk of being encircled by Russian forces.

Here are some of the other notable developments concerning Russia's war in Ukraine on Friday, April 7:

Kyiv rejects Brazilian proposal to cede Crimea for peace deal

Ukraine's government has rejected a peace proposal made by Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

The Brazilian head of state had suggested that Ukraine give up the Crimean peninsula as part of a peace deal with Russia.

"There is no legal, political or moral reason why Ukraine should give up even a centimeter of its land," Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleh Nikolenko wrote on Twitter.

"Any mediation efforts to restore peace must be based on respect for the sovereignty and full restoration of Ukraine's territorial integrity in accordance with the UN Charter," he said.

Lula had said that the status of Crimea could be discussed in peace talks. Moscow should end its occupation of other parts of Ukraine, he said.

Russia took over Crimea in 2014. In September of last year, it claimed to have annexed the regions of Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk and Luhansk in southern and eastern Ukraine, though the territory is still partly contested militarily.

US journalist formally charged with espionage by Russian authorities

Russian investigators have formally charged American journalist Evan Gershkovich with espionage, state news agecy TASS reported.

"He (Gershkovich) categorically denied all accusations and stated that he was engaged in journalistic activities in Russia," TASS said.

On the same day, the US Senate's Democratic and Republican leaders issued a rare bipartisan statement condemning Russia's detention of Gershkovich.

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

China and France commit to promote peace in Ukraine, Xi asks parties to meet each other 'halfway'

China and France said their countries support all efforts to restore peace in Ukraine on the basis of international law and principles of the UN Charter, a joint statement reported by the official Xinhua news agency said.

In a separate statement by Beijing's Foreign Ministry, Chinese leader Xi Jinping called for a political settlement to end the war in Ukraine. He added that all parties in the conflict ought to meet each other "halfway" to create conditions to arrive at the settlement, according to the ministry.

China and France, in their joint statement, reaffirmed their commitment to promote the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, nuclear disarmament and the peaceful use of nuclear energy.

Both countries said they were willing to cooperate to solve the financial hardships of developing economies. They emphasized support for a rules-based multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organization.

China would attend a climate summit in Paris in June, while France would attend the third Belt and Road Forum hosted by China, according to the statement.

France-based aerospace giant Airbus announced it reached a deal with a Chinese firm to sell 50 helicopters on French President Emmanuel Macron's final day in Beijing as well.

Macron and European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen arrived in Beijing earlier this week for meetings with Chinese officials and Xi as the war in Ukraine drags on.

Macron said he was "convinced China has a major role to play in building peace," while Xi said he was willing to work with France and the international community to "avoid taking actions that would further worsen the crisis or cause it to spiral out of control."

Cyprus to offer Ukraine mine-clearance training

Defense Minister of Cyprus Michalis Georgallas has offered Ukraine landmine clearance training as part of its humanitarian assistance.

"We will host personnel which will handle de-mining and detection of mines," Georgallas told Cypriot broadcaster Sigma TV.

Ukraine's Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov is on a visit to the island and is due to tour the locations where training will take place.

Cyprus has been split since 1974, when Turkish troops invaded the north, responding to a coup orchestrated by supporters of a union with Greece.

A 180-kilometer (116-mile) dividing line across Cyprus was riddled with minefields until the two sides began clearance operations over the past decade with the assistance the United Nations.

Thousands of crimes registered in Germany related to Ukraine war — report

German publication Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung has reported that since the beginning of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, around 6,000 criminal offences relating to the war in Ukraine have been registered by German authorities.

Figures from the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) were cited, with crimes including damage to property, insults, threats and physical assaults.

The newspaper reported that in the first two weeks of the war, most of the crimes were against Russia's invasion. But over the past few months the majority of crimes reported had an "anti-Ukrainian intention."

The publication reported that in instances of damage to property where graffiti was sprayed on walls, recorded offenses included expressing sympathy for a warring party. Crimes that expressed an anti-war sentiment were also included.

Classified NATO-US-backed spring offensive plans leaked — reports

Secret documents detailing US and NATO plans to assist Ukraine in preparation for a spring offensive have been leaked on social media, according to a New York Times report.

"We are aware of the reports of social media posts, and the [US Defense Department] is reviewing the matter," deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said.

The US newspaper reported that the documents were spread on Twitter and Telegram. They reportedly contained details pertaining to weapon deliveries and the strength of certain battalions, along with other sensitive material.

According to the report, one of the documents was at least five weeks old, while the most recent was dated March 1.

NATO allies have committed to support Ukraine in the face of Russia's invasion with provision of arms, ammunition and training.

More on the war in Ukraine

French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen have traveled to China to push Beijing to get Russia to the negotiating table. Those efforts are detailed here.

Read more about the Russian girl who was separated from her single father after drawing a pro-Ukraine sketch.

rm, kb/rs (AP, dpa, Reuters)