The Russian Prosecutor-General's Office confirmed on June 13 a final charge of espionage against U.S. journalist Evan Gershkovich and sent his case to the Sverdlovsk regional court for trial.
"Investigators revealed and confirmed by documents that the U.S. journalist of the Wall Street Journal newspaper, at the request of the CIA, in March 2023 collected classified information related to the operations of the Uralvagonzavod industrial facility producing and repairing military equipment," the office said in a statement, adding that Gershkovich "conducted the illegal actions under thorough disguise measures."
The 32-year-old U.S. citizen was arrested in late March 2023 in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg while on a reporting trip.
Russian authorities have not provided any evidence to support the espionage charges, which The Wall Street Journal and the U.S. government have vehemently rejected. They say Gershkovich was merely doing his job as an accredited reporter when he was arrested.
Dow Jones CEO and Wall Street Journal publisher Almar Latour and Wall Street Journal Editor in Chief Emma Tucker said in a statement on June 13 that Russia's latest move toward a "sham trial" is "deeply disappointing and still no less outrageous."
Gershkovich is facing a "false and baseless charge," they said, adding that he had spent 441 days in a Russian prison for simply doing his job.
"Evan is a journalist. The Russian regime's smearing of Evan is repugnant, disgusting, and based on calculated and transparent lies," the statement said. It added that the newspaper continues to demand his immediate release and now expects the U.S. government to redouble efforts to get him released.
Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Roger Carstens told members of Congress on June 13 that Gershkovich will soon begin the trial process, which "is not unexpected."
Carstens said Gershkovich can appeal his detention one more time, but he most likely will be moved to Yekaterinburg by June 30.
"If it's anything like what happened with Brittney Griner, Paul Whelan, Trevor Reed, there will be a period where we won't have any contact with him," Carstens said, referring to other Americans who have been imprisoned in Russia. Griner and Reed were returned to the United States in prisoner swaps.
The U.S. State Department said in December that Moscow rejected a significant offer it made to secure the release of Gershkovich and Paul Whelan, another American imprisoned in Russia on espionage charges.
Another U.S. citizen currently held by Russian authorities is Alsu Kurmasheva, an RFE/RL journalist who was arrested in Kazan, the capital of Russia's Republic of Tatarstan, in October 2023 and charged with failing to register as a "foreign agent" and spreading falsehoods about the Russian military.
Prior to her arrest, Kurmasheva, who faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted, had her passport confiscated following a visit to care for her mother. RFE/RL and the U.S. government say the charges against her are reprisals for her work.
Her husband, Pavel Butorin, who also works for RFE/RL, was at the hearing and told RFE/RL that having his wife’s designation changed to wrongfully detained is critical.
“We need the designation,” Butorin said. “Alsu is part of a news organization funded by the U.S. Congress. She has done nothing wrong.”
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Russian Court Again Extends Detention Of RFE/RL Journalist Alsu Kurmasheva
Russian officials have kept mum about any talks to win the release of the Americans. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has repeatedly said that while "certain contacts" on swaps continue, "they must be carried out in absolute silence."
Members of the committee acknowledged the presence of family members of wrongfully detained Americans at the hearing and asked whether Carstens could provide any updates.
Carstens said it would be best to discuss Kurmasheva’s case in a classified setting, noting that the "spotlight" has been on it, particularly after President Joe Biden in April called for her release.
"In Alsu's case, the spotlight's on it. As you know, the president called for her release at the [White House] Correspondents Dinner not too long ago," Carstens said, adding that her case has yet to be declared a wrongful detention.
Representative Brian Mast (Republican-Florida), chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Accountability, and Representative Jason Crow (Democrat-Colorado) agreed that it should be discussed there, implying that the classified setting would take place immediately after the hearing.
Many analysts and officials say it appears as though Russia is targeting American citizens to detain for potential use in prisoner exchanges or for other geopolitical purposes.
Russia is believed to be seeking the release of Vadim Krasikov, who was given a life sentence in Germany in 2021 for the killing of Zelimkhan "Tornike" Khangoshvili, a Georgian citizen of Chechen descent who had fought Russian troops in Chechnya and later claimed asylum in Germany.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, asked in February about releasing Gershkovich, appeared to refer to Krasikov by pointing to a man imprisoned by a U.S. ally for "liquidating a bandit" who had allegedly killed Russian soldiers during separatist fighting in Chechnya.