US journalist Gershkovich scheduled to appear in Russian court for the second hearing of spy charges

MOSCOW (AP) — Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich is scheduled to appear in court in Russia on Thursday for the second hearing in his trial on espionage charges that he, his employer and the U.S. government vehemently deny, court records showed.

The trial is taking place behind closed doors in Yekaterinburg, a city in the Ural Mountains where the 32-year-old journalist was detained while on a reporting trip.

At the first hearing last month the court had adjourned until mid-August. But Gershkovich's lawyers petitioned the court to hold the second hearing earlier, Russian state news agency RIA Novosti and independent news site Mediazona reported Tuesday, citing court officials. It is now scheduled for Thursday morning.

Gershkovich's employer and U.S. officials have denounced the trial as sham and illegitimate.

“Evan has never been employed by the United States government. Evan is not a spy. Journalism is not a crime. And Evan should never have been detained in the first place,” White House national security spokesman John Kirby said last month.

Authorities arrested Gershkovich on March 29, 2023, and claimed without offering any evidence that he was gathering secret information for the U.S.

The Russian Prosecutor General’s office said last month month that the journalist is accused of “gathering secret information” on orders from the CIA about Uralvagonzavod, a plant about 150 kilometers (90 miles) north of Yekaterinburg that produces and repairs tanks and other military equipment. It has also been viewed as a symbol of pro-Kremlin sentiment ever since one of its managers publicly denounced the 2011-12 anti-government protests in Moscow.

Gershkovich is facing up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

Russia has signaled the possibility of a prisoner swap...