The Russian court announced that in the end June will hold a closed-door trial of the espionage case of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich.
As Reuters reminds, 32-year-old Gershkovich was detained by the Federal Security Service (FSB) on March 29, 2023 in the city of Yekaterinburg on charges of espionage, which carries up to 20 years in prison.
The defendant himself has repeatedly denied these charges. And The Wall Street Journal maintains that Gershkovich was doing his job and denies that he is a spy. The White House also called the allegations “ridiculous,” and President Joe Biden said Gershkovich's detention was “absolutely illegal.”
The FSB said Gershkovich was trying to gather secrets for the CIA about Uralvagonzavod, the Russian defense industry. an enterprise that is one of the world's largest manufacturers of battle tanks.
"According to investigative authorities, the American journalist of The Wall Street Journal Gershkovich, on instructions from the CIA in March 2023, collected secret information about the activities of defense enterprise JSC NPK “Uralvagonzavod” for the production and repair of military equipment”, — the message says.
Prepared by: Nina Petrovich