Evan Gershkovich Sentenced to 16 Years in Russian Prison

A court in Russia on Friday sentenced Evan Gershkovich, a reporter for The Wall Street Journal, to 16 years in a high-security penal colony, the court said, ending his espionage case but possibly opening a way for a prisoner swap between the United States and Russia.

The harsh sentence represented the first espionage conviction of a Western reporter in modern Russia. But the expedited nature of the case suggested that Moscow might be ready to trade Mr. Gershkovich.