The trial of a US reporter charged with espionage in Russia is to begin June 26

MOSCOW (AP) — A Russian court says the espionage trial in Russia of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich will begin on June 26 and will be held behind closed doors. Gershkovich, a U.S. citizen, has been behind bars since his March 2023 arrest and faces 20 years in prison if convicted. The trial is to be held in the Sverdlovsky Regional Court in Yekaterinburg, where he was arrested. He has since been held in Moscow’s Lefortovo prison. The 32-year-old is accused of “gathering secret information” on orders from the CIA about Uralvagonzavod, a facility that produces and repairs military equipment, the Prosecutor General’s office said last week. The reporter, his employer and the U.S. government deny the allegations.