The Russian Prosecutor's Office announced today that the detained American journalist Evan Gershkovich (32) will soon be tried in Yekaterinburg for espionage, as he was accused of collecting information about the tank factory on behalf of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
The prosecution stated for the first time that this journalist, who has been in custody for more than a year, "collected secret information" about the company "Uralvagonzavod" in the Sverdlovsk region, where military equipment is manufactured and repaired.
Officials have yet to provide evidence for that charge.
That "Wall Street Journal" journalist was arrested at the end of March 2023 in Yekaterinburg while reporting, and the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) already suspected him of acting under orders from the US to collect state secrets.
Gershkovic and his media have denied this, and the US government claims that he was unjustly detained.
He is housed in Moscow's Lefortovo prison, notorious for its harsh conditions.
In March, the court in Moscow extended his detention until the end of June.
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