The American ambassador to Moscow, Lynne Tracy, was able to visit journalist Evan Gershkovich on Friday, imprisoned in Russia since the end of March 2023 on espionage charges that he firmly rejects.
Evan Gershkovich, journalist at the Wall Street Journal, “remains steadfast and grateful for the support of his friends, family and supporters,” the American embassy in Russia said on Telegram, which again called for his “immediate release ".
Putin “hopes” for a deal
Last December, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he “hoped” to find an “agreement” with the United States for the exchange of prisoners, including Evan Gershkovich, confirming that contacts existed with Washington, which should, according to him, “ make an appropriate decision that suits the Russian side.”
Also in December, a Russian court decided to keep Evan Gershkovich in pre-trial detention at least until the end of January 2024, whose trial has still not started.
Accused of espionage
The 32-year-old American journalist, who also worked for AFP in Moscow in the past, was arrested by Russian security services during a report in Yekaterinburg, in the Urals, in March 2023. He is accused of espionage, a crime punishable by 20 years in prison, but he rejects these accusations, as do the United States, his newspaper, his friends and his family.
Russia has never substantiated its accusations or publicly provided evidence, and the entire procedure has been classified secret.
In recent years, several American citizens have been arrested and sentenced to heavy sentences in Russia, Washington, which has supported Kiev against the Russian army for two years, accusing Moscow of wanting to exchange them for Russians detained in the United States.