Russia formally charges U.S. journalist Evan Gershkovich with ‘espionage’

U.S. journalist Evan Gershkovich, who was arrested last year while on a reporting trip in Russia, has been formally charged with espionage, reports state news agency RBC.

Russian prosecutors claim that Gershkovich, “under the direction of the CIA, was gathering classified information in the Sverdlovsk region in March 2023 about the activities of the Uralvagonzavod defense company, which produces and repairs military equipment.”

Gershkovich was arrested on March 30, 2023, in Yekaterinburg, Russia on orders from Russia’s Federal Security Service, which claimed that he was involved in “espionage.” Since April 2023, he has been held in Moscow’s Lefortovo prison awaiting trial.

Andrey Ivanov, the official spokesperson for the General Prosecutor’s Office, said the criminal case had been sent to the Sverdlovsk regional court for review. If convicted, Gershkovich could face up to 20 years in prison in accordance with Russia’s Criminal Code.

The U.S. State Department has designated Gershkovich as “wrongfully detained” and has called on Russia to release him.