Russian prosecutors have moved forward with the espionage case against Evan Gershkovich, the American journalist detained on espionage charges. They accuse him of spying for the CIA and have approved the indictment, signaling that Gershkovich will face trial in Yekaterinburg, where he was arrested in March 2023.
The arrest marked the first instance of an American journalist being detained on espionage charges since the Cold War.
According to the Russian Prosecutor General’s office, the Federal Security Service (FSB) had evidence that Gershkovich was following CIA instructions at the time of his arrest, allegedly gathering secret information about a Russian tank factory using covert methods.
Gershkovich, the US government, and his employer, the Wall Street Journal, have vehemently denied these accusations. The US State Department designated him as wrongfully detained shortly after his arrest, urging for his immediate release.
Gershkovich, aged 32, has spent the past year in Moscow’s Lefortovo Prison, with his pre-trial detention extended multiple times. Other Americans, including ex-Marine Paul Whelan and Russian-American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva, have also faced detention in Russia in recent years.
Source:
https://edition.cnn.com/
Image:
https://www.reuters.com/
