The espionage case against Wall Street Journal (WSJ) journalist Evan Gershkovich will be examined behind closed doors, the first hearing is scheduled for June 26, the trial will be led by Judge Andrei Mineev, the press service reported of the Sverdlovsk Regional Court on June 17.
Last week, the Prosecutor General’s Office approved the indictment in the case of journalist Gershkovich, which was transferred to the Yekaterinburg court.
According to the investigation, the journalist collected secret information about the production and repair of military equipment at the Uralvagonzavod company, following instructions from the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
Recall that Gershkovich was detained in Lefortovo at the end of March 2023. He is accused of espionage. The FSB claims that the journalist collected data on the Russian military-industrial complex on instructions from the American side. Gershkovich denies the accusations and calls himself a journalist. The WSJ editors and US authorities also declared his innocence and demanded his release.
Earlier, President Vladimir Putin said there was a “difficult dialogue” between Russia and the United States over the prisoner exchange. In an interview with Tucker Carlson, he expressed hope that if “our partners” show a countermove, a trade for journalist Evan Gershkovich could take place.
The president also recalled the case of a Russian citizen convicted in Germany who, according to him, committed a murder for patriotic reasons. We are talking about former FSB officer Vadim Krasikov, sentenced to life imprisonment in Germany for the murder of a Georgian citizen, Chechen by birth, Zelimkhan Khangoshvili.
Source: Rossa Primavera
I am Michael Melvin, an experienced news writer with a passion for uncovering stories and bringing them to the public. I have been working in the news industry for over five years now, and my work has been published on multiple websites. As an author at 24 News Reporters, I cover world section of current events stories that are both informative and captivating to read.