The expedited espionage trial of Evan Gershkovich, a US reporter for The Wall Street Journal, is reaching its final stages in Russia on Friday. The case has been widely condemned by Washington as a sham.
Gershkovich, 32, is the first Western journalist in Russia to face spying charges since the Soviet era. He was detained in March 2023 while on a reporting trip to Yekaterinburg in the Urals and has since spent nearly 16 months in Moscow's notorious Lefortovo prison. If found guilty by a closed military court, he could face up to 20 years in a penal colony.
The latest hearing was set to begin at 10:30 am local time at Sverdlovsk Regional Court in Yekaterinburg. A court spokesperson informed AFP that the defense and prosecution were expected to deliver their closing arguments, with a verdict potentially being announced as early as Friday or at a later date.
Gershkovich's case has progressed rapidly, with only two closed-door hearings since the first in late June. The second hearing, held Thursday, was moved up almost a month at the request of Gershkovich's defense team. Similar cases in Russia typically drag on for weeks or months between hearings.
Washington believes Gershkovich's arrest is a strategic move by Russia to use him as a “bargaining chip” to secure the release of Russians convicted abroad. Tensions between the two countries remain high due to Moscow's military actions in Ukraine.
Russia maintains a policy of not exchanging prisoners internationally unless they have been convicted. Both Moscow and Washington have expressed openness to a potential exchange involving Gershkovich, but details and timelines remain undisclosed. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov confirmed ongoing talks between US and Russian special services regarding possible prisoner exchanges but did not specify any individuals.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has hinted at a desire to secure the release of Vadim Krasikov, a Russian convicted in Germany for the assassination of a Chechen separatist commander, an act German judges attributed to Russian authorities.
Other US nationals detained in Russia include dual US-Russian citizens Alsu Kurmasheva and ballerina Ksenia Karelina, as well as former US Marine Paul Whelan, serving a 16-year sentence for spying. Additionally, a Moscow court recently sentenced former US paratrooper Michael Travis Leake to 13 years in prison on drug dealing charges.
The Kremlin has provided no public evidence for the spying allegations against Gershkovich, claiming only that he was caught “red-handed” spying on a tank factory in the Urals region and was working for the CIA. US National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby has refuted these claims, stating, “Evan has never been employed by the United States government. Evan is not a spy.”
A United Nations working group recently declared Gershkovich's detention “arbitrary” and called for his immediate release. Gershkovich, a US-born son of Soviet emigres raised in New Jersey, had been reporting from Russia since 2017 and chose to remain even after Moscow's Ukraine offensive.
While in prison, Gershkovich has communicated with friends and family through hand-written letters, maintaining his sense of humor and optimism. At his first trial hearing on June 26, he greeted journalists with a smile and appeared cheerful despite his head being fully shaven.
The Wall Street Journal has denounced the accusations against Gershkovich as bogus, asserting that he was simply doing his job and had never worked for the US government. The White House has urged US citizens still in Russia to “depart immediately” due to the risk of wrongful arrest.
