The trial against the American Evan Gershkovich lasted only a few hours before it was postponed until 13 August. In other words, there is hardly any talk of an immediate exchange. The journalist from the Wall Street Journal appeared clean-shaven and apparently in good spirits in the courtroom in Yekaterinburg this morning. After a short photo shoot with the media in attendance, the hall was closed. The court proceedings with Gershkovich accused of being a spy are secret. It is the first time since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 that a Western journalist has been accused of espionage in Russia. Prosecutor Mikael Ozdoyev answered questions from the press. Photo: Evgenia Novozhenina / Reuters The charge Gershkovich is charged under section 276 of the Russian Criminal Code. This is the same paragraph that was used when Norwegian Frode Berg was convicted of espionage in 2019. Prosecutor Mikhael Ozdojev claimed today that the journalist acted on behalf of the CIA and collected secret information about the defense company Uralvagonzavod in Yekaterinburg. He was arrested in March last year and taken to Lefortovo prison in Moscow. In February, President Putin visited the Uralvagonzavod factory. Gershkovich is accused of gathering information for the CIA about this weapons factory. Photo: Ramil Sitdikov / AP – This false accusation of espionage will inevitably lead to a false conviction for an innocent man, writes Wall Street Journal editor-in-chief Emma Tucker in a letter to readers. Avisa claims that he was only carrying out ordinary, journalistic reporting. Gershkovich faces a sentence of 20 years, and it is very rare for people accused of espionage not to be sentenced in Russia. Can be exchanged – eventually President Vladimir Putin has indicated several times that negotiations are underway for an exchange of Evan Gershkovich in exchange for a person Russia would like to have home. – The special services are in contact with each other. They talk. I think it is possible to reach an agreement, Putin said in an interview with American journalist Tucker Carlson in February. In the same interview, Putin hinted that he wanted to bring home a person “who, due to patriotic feelings, eliminated a bandit in one of the European capitals … in connection with events in the Caucasus.” Photo: AP It was almost certainly a reference to FSB agent Vadim Krasikov. He is imprisoned in Germany after killing a Georgian officer in a park in Berlin in 2019. But Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says today that it is too early to talk about an exchange now. – Here it is necessary to wait for the verdict, said Peskov. At the same time, Russia’s deputy foreign minister, Sergej Ryabkov, stated that the US “must seriously assess the signals that have come via relevant channels”. In other words, it is highly likely that Gershkovich will be traded, but it is certainly not certain that it will happen quickly. This is what The Wall Street Journal front page looked like exactly one year after Gershkovich was arrested. Photo: TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP More Americans in Russian captivity In an interview with the BBC, the editor of the Wall Street Journal accused Russia of building up a “stockpile” of Americans that can be used as currency in prisoner exchanges. There are currently at least 4 Americans in Russian prisons. Former Marine Paul Whelan. Sentenced in 2020 to 16 years in a labor camp for espionage. According to the United States, he is innocent. Journalist Alsu Kurmasjeva from Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Arrested in 2023 for spreading “false information” about Russia’s armed forces and faces 15 years in prison. Mark Fogel, a former teacher at the Anglo-American School in Moscow. In 2022, he was sentenced to 14 years in prison for attempting to bring 17 grams of marijuana into the country. Gordon Black – a staff sergeant who earlier in June was sentenced to over three years in prison for stealing money and threatening to kill his Russian girlfriend in Vladivostok. It is unclear whether there are ongoing efforts to connect more of these cases to discussions about trading Gershkovich. Neither the US nor Russia has indicated anything in that direction. Outside the court where Gershkovich met today. Photo: AP May take a long time But “the subject loves silence”, said Putin’s press spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, today. So while Putin has been unusually open and clear about his intentions, it could be months, at worst years, before 32-year-old Gershkovich is released. Frode Berg sat for 711 days in Lefortovo. Then he let go. But he had been part of a spy mission. There is no evidence to say the same about Gershkovich. Russia is at war, and the Russian defense industry is a hot topic. But also risky, if you want to unearth unique material. According to Reporters Without Borders, there are currently 36 journalists and 6 media workers in Russian prisons. Published 26.06.2024, at 20.55 Updated 26.06.2024, at 21.00
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Journalist charged with espionage must be sentenced before possible exchange – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
