Russian court extends detention of Wall Street Journal reporter Gershkovich until end of January

MOSCOW — A Moscow court on Tuesday extended the detention of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, arrested on espionage charges, until January 30, Russian news agencies reported.

The hearing took place behind closed doors because authorities say the details of the criminal case against the American journalist are secret.

Gershkovich, 32, was arrested in March during a reporting trip to the Russian city of Yekaterinburg, about 2,000 kilometers (1,200 miles) east of Moscow. The Russian Federal Security Service claimed that the reporter, “acting on behalf of the US side, collected information constituting a state secret about the activities of one of the enterprises of the Russian military-industrial complex.”

Gershkovich and the Journal deny the allegations, and the U.S. government has said he was wrongfully detained. Russian authorities have not provided any evidence to support the espionage allegations.

Gershkovich is the first American reporter to be accused of espionage in Russia since 1986, when Nicholas Daniloff, a Moscow correspondent for US News and World Report, was arrested by the KGB. He is being held in Moscow’s Lefortovo prison, notorious for its harsh conditions.

Analysts have suggested that Moscow may be using captured Americans as a bargaining chip after tensions between the US and Russia soared when Russia sent troops to Ukraine. At least two US citizens arrested in Russia in recent years – including WNBA star Brittney Griner – have been exchanged for Russians imprisoned in the US

The Russian Foreign Ministry has said it will only consider a trade for Gershkovich after a ruling in his trial. In Russia, espionage trials can last more than a year.