By Evan Gershkovich, a US journalist working for The Wall Street Journal, is set to face trial on espionage charges in Russia on June 26, 2023. The trial will take place in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg and will be held behind closed doors, according to the court overseeing the process.
Gershkovich, 32, was arrested in March 2023 while on a reporting trip in Yekaterinburg and has since been held in Moscow’s notorious Lefortovo prison. He became the first Western journalist to be arrested for spying in Russia since the Soviet era.
Last week, Russia’s prosecutor general accused Gershkovich of working for the CIA and “collecting secret information” about tank maker Uralvagonzavod in the Sverdlovsk region where he was arrested. The United States dismissed the charges as having “zero credibility,” while The Wall Street Journal condemned Russia’s announcement as “outrageous.”
Prior to this, Moscow had not provided any public details of its case against Gershkovich, stating only that he was “caught red-handed.” If found guilty, the journalist faces up to 20 years in prison.
Gershkovich, his family, his employer, and Washington have consistently denied all charges against him since his arrest, maintaining that he was simply doing his job as a journalist. The Wall Street Journal’s chief editor Emma Tucker and top executives issued a statement, calling Russia’s move toward a sham trial “deeply disappointing” and “no less outrageous.”
The US State Department declared Gershkovich “wrongfully detained” last year, effectively signaling that the White House considers him a political hostage. Washington has accused Moscow of arresting its citizens on baseless charges to use them as bargaining chips for securing the release of Russians convicted abroad.
Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his willingness to see Gershkovich freed as part of a prisoner exchange in February, indicating that talks were ongoing. However, he made it clear that he wanted any deal to involve the release of a Russian jailed in Germany for killing a Chechen dissident.
The Kremlin reiterated on Monday that there was “contact” with the US regarding a possible exchange involving Gershkovich but emphasized that the talks “need to be held in total silence.”
Other US nationals detained in Russia include reporter Alsu Kurmasheva, who was detained last year for failing to register as a “foreign agent,” and former US marine Paul Whelan, who has been in prison since 2018 and is serving a 16-year sentence on espionage charges. Both are pushing to be included in any future prisoner exchange.
Gershkovich, born in the United States to Soviet emigre parents, is a well-known and well-liked member of the Moscow press corps. Prior to joining The Wall Street Journal, he worked for Agence France-Presse. Friends have quipped that the outgoing journalist had probably befriended his guards at Lefortovo prison, where he shares a small cell with another inmate.
As the trial date approaches, the international community will be closely monitoring the proceedings, with many calling for Gershkovich’s release and condemning Russia’s actions as politically motivated.
