MOSCOW – The espionage trial of Evan Gershkovich, a reporter for the Wall Street Journal, has been rescheduled to July 18, earlier than the previously set date of August 13, the Russian court announced on Tuesday.
Gershkovich, a 32-year-old American journalist, was initially put on trial behind closed doors in Yekaterinburg last month. He faces espionage charges, which he denies, that could lead to a 20-year prison sentence if convicted.
Russian prosecutors allege that Gershkovich collected classified information on behalf of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency about a company manufacturing tanks for Russia’s conflict in Ukraine. The Federal Security Service (FSB) detained him on March 29, 2023, at a steakhouse in Yekaterinburg, 900 miles east of Moscow. Since then, he has been held in Moscow’s Lefortovo prison.
Gershkovich, his employer, and the U.S. government firmly reject the accusations, asserting that he was simply fulfilling his duties as a journalist accredited by the Russian Foreign Ministry.
The RIA state-run news agency reported that the court moved up the hearing date at the request of Gershkovich’s defense team. While journalists were briefly permitted to film Gershkovich at the start of his trial in June, the upcoming hearing on Thursday will be closed to the press. The court indicated that the media will only be allowed access when the verdict is announced.
In Russia, closed trials are standard for cases involving treason or espionage with classified material. The Kremlin has maintained that the trial is a judicial matter, claiming without providing evidence that Gershkovich was caught “red-handed.”
U.S. officials have repeatedly denounced the charges as baseless, accusing Russia of using Gershkovich and another detained American, former Marine Paul Whelan, as leverage for a potential prisoner exchange. Washington considers both men to be “wrongfully detained” and is committed to securing their release.
President Vladimir Putin has stated that Russia is open to a prisoner exchange involving Gershkovich and has acknowledged that contacts with the United States have occurred, though he emphasized that these discussions must remain confidential.
