The trial of American journalist Evan Gershkovich began yesterday in Yekaterinburg, Russia, over charges he spied on Russian defense contractors for the US. The 32-year-old Wall Street Journal reporter has been jailed since March 2023 in what the US deems is a wrongful detention. It's the first such Russian imprisonment of a foreign correspondent on espionage charges since the Soviet era.
Espionage trials in Russia are closed to the public, with lawyers prevented from commenting publicly on the case and witness testimony rarely publicized. Gershkovich (read bio) appeared with his head shaved in a glass enclosure in the courtroom prior to the closed two-hour hearing. His lawyers report Gershkovich—who denies the allegations—has kept busy reading Russian classics and playing chess by mail. If convicted, Gershkovich faces up to 20 years in prison—though officials have signaled openness to a prisoner swap.
American Paul Whelan and dual US-Russian citizen Alsu Kurmasheva are among those also wrongfully detained in the country. Gershkovich's next hearing is slated for Aug. 13.
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