Russia extends detention of US journalist Evan Gershkovich by 3 months

Moscow, May 23

A Russian court has extended the arrest of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich by three months, Russian news agencies reported on Tuesday.

Gershkovich, an American citizen, was ordered held until August 30.

He had been arrested in March on espionage charges on a reporting trip in Russia. He, his employer and the US government have denied the charges.

Gershkovich is the first US correspondent since the Cold War to be detained in Russia on spying charges, and his arrest rattled journalists in the country and drew outrage in the West.

The US government has declared Gershkovich to be “wrongfully detained” and demanded his immediate release. He’s being held in Moscow’s Lefortovo prison. AP