Evan Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal reporter, will remain imprisoned in Russia on espionage charges until at least late June. A Moscow court on Tuesday rejected his appeal to end his pretrial detention. Gershkovich, a 32-year-old U.S. citizen, was detained in late March 2023 while on a reporting trip to Yekaterinburg. He has spent over a year in jail, with his pretrial detention repeatedly extended. The court last month extended his detention to June 30, a ruling that he and his lawyers challenged. The Moscow appellate court rejected their challenge on Tuesday. Gershkovich, wearing a white T-shirt and an open checked shirt, appeared relaxed in the courtroom, laughing and chatting with members of his legal team. His arrest rattled journalists in Russia, where authorities have not disclosed any evidence to support the espionage charges. Gershkovich and his employer have denied the allegations, and the U.S. government has declared him to be wrongfully detained. Analysts suggest that Moscow may be holding Gershkovich as a bargaining chip in the escalating tensions between the U.S. and Russia over the Kremlin’s military operation in Ukraine. At least two U.S. citizens arrested in Russia in recent years have been exchanged for Russians jailed in the U.S., including WNBA star Brittney Griner. The U.S. State Department stated in December that it had made a substantial offer to secure Gershkovich’s release and that of Paul Whelan, another American imprisoned in Russia on espionage charges. Russia reportedly rejected the offer. Officials did not elaborate on the proposal, although it has been reported that Russia seeks the release of Vadim Krasikov, who was sentenced to life in Germany in 2021 for killing Zelimkhan “Tornike” Khangoshvili in Berlin. Khangoshvili, a 40-year-old Georgian citizen of Chechen descent, had fought against Russian troops in Chechnya and later sought asylum in Germany. When asked about Gershkovich’s release this year, Russian President Vladimir Putin appeared to refer to Krasikov by mentioning an individual imprisoned by a U.S. ally for “liquidating a bandit” who had allegedly killed Russian soldiers during Chechnya’s separatist conflict. Beyond that hint, Russian officials have remained silent about the negotiations. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has repeatedly stated that while “certain contacts” regarding swaps are ongoing, they must be “conducted in absolute silence.” Gershkovich is the first American reporter to be arrested on espionage charges in Russia since Nicholas Daniloff in September 1986. Daniloff, a Moscow correspondent for U.S. News and World Report, was arrested by the KGB but released without charge 20 days later in exchange for a Soviet employee arrested by the FBI on espionage charges.
US Reporter Evan Gershkovich’s Espionage Appeal Rejected by Moscow Court
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