Wall Street Journal reporter sentenced to 16 years in Russian prison

Evan Gershkovich was found guilty of espionage by a Russian court and sentenced to 16 years in prison. The trial lasted two days and was held entirely behind closed doors. The "Wall Street Journal" journalist denies all charges but faces many years in harsh conditions.

A Russian court found the American journalist from the "Wall Street Journal" Evan Gershkovich, guilty of espionage and sentenced him to 16 years in prison - Reuters reported, citing Russian state media.

The prosecution had demanded 18 years of imprisonment for the reporter. The 32-year-old claims he is innocent, and his editorial team called the trial a farce.

The journalist was accused of collecting classified information on the instructions of the CIA in March 2023 regarding production at the Uralvagonzavod tank manufacturing and military equipment repair plant. Additionally, he was charged with conducting illegal activities using covert methods.

The reporter has denied these accusations from the very beginning. The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, the White House, and global media, led by the "Wall Street Journal," have all defended him.

Gershkovich is a U.S. citizen, the son of immigrants from the USSR. Before his arrest, he had worked in Moscow for about 6 years, writing about Russia, Ukraine, and countries of the former Soviet Union. His last article in the "WSJ" was published on March 28 last year.

The journalist was detained in March 2023 in Yekaterinburg. Since then, he has been held in one of Russia's harshest prisons – Moscow's "Lefortovo." He is the first American journalist accused of espionage in Russia since the Cold War.

According to independent media representatives, U.S. authorities, and the international community, the case has political implications. Bloomberg reports that Vladimir Putin personally approved the detention and arrest of the American.

The Kremlin spokesperson denied this version, claiming the journalist was caught "red-handed." However, the Russian authorities have not provided any evidence to support this claim.

The U.S. State Department stated that the journalist was unlawfully detained and demanded his release.

At the end of last year, the U.S. State Department announced it had made an exchange offer to Moscow, but the Kremlin rejected it. The Russian Foreign Ministry said a possible exchange could only be considered after the court's verdict.