Geršković sentenced to 16 years in prison for espionage

He is the first American journalist to be arrested on espionage charges in Russia since the Cold War

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Photo: REUTERS
Photo: REUTERS
Disclaimer: The translations are mostly done through AI translator and might not be 100% accurate.

A Russian court found American journalist Evan Geršković guilty of espionage and sentenced him to 16 years, the state agency RIA announced.

The case against Geršković was called false by his employer, the Wall Street Journal.

Gershkovich, a 32-year-old American who has denied any wrongdoing and said the charges against him are false, was tried last month in Yekaterinburg, Reuters reports.

Prosecutors alleged that Gershkovich collected classified information at the behest of the US Central Intelligence Agency about a company producing tanks for Russia's war in Ukraine. He is the first American journalist to be arrested on espionage charges in Russia since the Cold War.

Espionage cases often take months to resolve, and the unusual speed with which his trial was conducted behind closed doors - Friday's hearing was only the third in the trial - has fueled speculation that a long-discussed US-Russia prisoner swap deal involving him and other Americans Detained in Russia may be in the works.

Asked by Reuters on Friday about the possibility of such an exchange, the Kremlin declined to comment.

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