ALBAWABA - Wall Street Journal correspondent Evan Gershkovich's closed-door espionage trial in Russia began on Wednesday, 15 months after he was unexpectedly arrested on allegations that he, his employer, and the White House denied.
When he was captured in March 2023 while reporting in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg, the Wall Street Journal correspondent became the first Western journalist to be jailed for espionage in Russia since the Cold War.
Russian authorities accused Gershkovich of working for the CIA and "collecting secret information" on the country's biggest tank manufacturing in the Urals, which Washington claims is false.
The Kremlin has supplied no public proof for the charges, stating only that he was caught "red-handed". If convicted, Gershkovich could face up to 20 years in a penal colony.
The US State Department stated that the allegations against Gershkovich had "zero credibility," while the Wall Street Journal said he was jailed for "just doing his job."
Washington has accused Moscow of detaining its nationals on false accusations in order to use them as leverage to seek the release of Russians convicted abroad. Moscow said last week, days after the trial date was set, that it was awaiting a response from Washington on suggestions Russia had proposed for a prospective prisoner swap.
President Vladimir Putin has indicated that he wants Gershkovich released as part of a prisoner swap arrangement with the US, in exchange for the release of a Russian man imprisoned in Germany for the killing of an exiled Chechen rebel commander.
US President Joe Biden, who praised Gershkovich's courage for reporting in Russia, has stated that his government will strive "every day" to bring the reporter home.
