Russia extends detention of US reporter Gershkovich

Moscow court extends journalist’s arrest on espionage charges, ensuring he spends more than a year in prison.

Russia has extended the pre-trial detention of American journalist Evan Gershkovich.

The Moscow City Court ordered on Tuesday that the 32-year-old Wall Street Journal reporter remain behind bars until June 30 as he awaits trial on espionage charges. The United States embassy slammed the decision, which ensures that the journalist will spend a year at least in prison, as evidence that Russia is “using American citizens as pawns to achieve political ends”.

Gershkovich and the WSJ have consistently denied the allegations of spying since his arrest in March 2023 while on assignment in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg. The US government has declared him wrongfully jailed.

Russian authorities have not detailed what, if any, evidence they have to support the charges.

US ambassador to Russia Lynne Tracy attended the court hearing, and reiterated that “the accusations against Evan are categorically untrue”.