Russia Announces Finalization of Charges Against Imprisoned American Journalist and Venue for His Trial

Russian officials announced on Thursday that Evan Gershkovich, the American journalist imprisoned in Russia, is set to be tried in the city of Yekaterinburg. Yekaterinburg is where this Wall Street Journal reporter was arrested over a year ago on the fabricated charge of 'espionage.' Evan Gershkovich was detained in March 2023 in this city located 1400 kilometers east of Moscow, and his detention has been extended several times since then. Gershkovich, his employer, and the U.S. government deny the charges against him, with the U.S. State Department stating that he has been wrongfully detained. According to the Russian Attorney General's Office, Gershkovich's indictment has been finalized, and his case has been sent to the Sverdlovsk Regional Court in Yekaterinburg. The Attorney General's Office has stated that the charge against him is 'collecting confidential information' from a military equipment manufacturing and repair facility in the Sverdlovsk region. This is the first time Russia has publicly disclosed details of the charges against the 32-year-old journalist, although no evidence has been provided to substantiate them. Matthew Miller, a spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, stated on Thursday that the Biden administration will continue its efforts to secure Gershkovich's release. He emphasized that 'we have said from the beginning that Evan has committed no wrongdoing. He should never have been arrested. Journalism is not a crime.' Miller further asserted that the charges against Gershkovich are false and that the Russian government knows this, insisting that he should be released immediately. Alsu Kormashova, the editor of Radio Free Europe 'Radio Liberty,' is another American journalist who has been detained and imprisoned in Russia since October 2023. Following Russia's military invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, which Moscow refers to as a 'special military operation,' tensions between the U.S. and Russia have escalated. Analysts believe that Russia is using the detention and imprisonment of American citizens on spurious security charges as a bargaining tool. Russia has extended the detention of the dual American-Russian journalist. Russia has extended the detention of the American 'Radio Liberty' journalist for the third time. Biden on the anniversary of the detention of an American journalist by Russia: Journalism is not a crime. The detention order for Evan Gershkovich, the American journalist, has been extended for another three months. A Russian court has once again extended the detention of Gershkovich, the American journalist, 'without charges being announced.'