U.S. journalist Evan Gershkovich to stand trial in Russia on charges of spying for the CIA

American journalist Evan Gershkovich will stand trial in Russia on charges of spying for the CIA, prosecutors announced Thursday.

Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal reporter, was arrested in March 2023 on what many in the West consider trumped-up charges by Russian President Vladimir Putin’s repressive government.

President Joe Biden has repeatedly called on Putin to release Gershkovich, 32, who was arrested while on a reporting trip in the Ural Mountains city of Yekaterinburg. Gershkovich, his employer and the U.S. government have all vehemently denied the allegations.