American journalist Evan Gershkovich sentenced to 16 years in prison in Russia

Gershkovich's trial, which began last month in a Yekaterinburg court, was held behind closed doors, with the verdict coming at the third hearing.

The prosecutor's office had demanded 18 years in prison for the reporter, which is only two years less than the maximum penalty under Russian law for espionage.

Reuters points out that espionage cases usually take months to complete, and the “extraordinary speed” with which the journalist's trial was conducted has raised speculation that the long-negotiated prisoner exchange agreement between Washington and Moscow, involving both Gershkovich and other Americans held in Russiamay be at risk.

The Kremlin, asked by the agency on Friday about the possibility of such an exchange, declined to comment.

Gershkovich, who was detained last spring, is the first American journalist to be charged with espionage in Russia since the Cold War. The reporter himself, the WSJ editorial team and the authorities USA they claim that he is innocent and performed normal professional duties as a correspondent formally accredited by Russian Foreign Ministry.

The prosecutor's office claimed that the reporter “in March 2023, on behalf of the CIA, collected secret information on the production carried out at the Uralvagonzavod plant and the repair of military equipment.” He was also accused of “acting illegally, using conspiratorial methods.”

The US authorities have called the reporter's arrest unlawful and are demanding his release. Following an appeal for Gershkovich's release, made last year by the US ambassador to UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield, signed by representatives of over 40 countries. They demand the release of people detained for political reasons and an “end to the draconian repression of freedom of speech, including against media representatives.”

No evidence was presented that the 32-year-old journalist, the son of Soviet emigrants, was a spy.

On Wednesday, the Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated that Moscow has “irrefutable evidence” of the reporter's guilt.

At a press conference, he insisted that the trial “has nothing to do with attacks on journalists” and said that “the Russian side supports freedom of speech.” Lavrov also blamed American journalists for hindering talks between Moscow and Washington on a possible exchange of the reporter, and announced that confidential negotiations on the matter were still underway.

Late last year, the US State Department said it had made an exchange offer to Moscow, but the Kremlin had rejected it. The Russian Foreign Ministry said a possible exchange of the journalist would only be considered after a court ruling.