Evan Gershkovich, the American journalist being held in Russia, will face trial after prosecutors claimed he had been spying on a tank factory for the CIA.
Russia’s prosecutor general accused Mr Gershkovich, a reporter for the Wall Street Journal, of working for the CIA and collecting “secret information” about tank maker Uralvagonzavod in the Sverdlovsk region where he was arrested in March 2023.
Mr Gershkovich, his employer and the White House deny the espionage charges. He has been held in Moscow’s notorious Lefortovo prison since he was detained.
His trial will take place in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg, Russian officials said.
Moscow had previously not provided any details of its case against Mr Gershkovich, saying only that he was “caught red-handed”.
Up to 20 years in prison
Mr Gershkovich became the first Western journalist since the Soviet era to be arrested for spying in Russia when he was detained.
The 32-year-old faces up to 20 years in prison if found guilty.
Washington has accused Moscow of arresting US citizens on baseless charges to use them as bargaining chips to secure the release of Russians convicted abroad.
The US government has declared Mr Gershkovich as wrongfully detained, meaning it effectively regards him as a political hostage.
Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, said in February he would like to see Mr Gershkovich released as part of a prisoner exchange.
In remarks to Tucker Carlson, the conservative American TV commentator, he said talks between Russia and the United States about a possible swap were ongoing.
However, the Russian leader made clear he wanted any deal to involve the release of a Russian jailed in Germany for killing a Chechen dissident.
Other US citizens detained
Among other US citizens detained in Russia is reporter Alsu Kurmasheva, held last year for failing to register as a “foreign agent”. Her employers denounced the case against her as politically motivated.
Paul Whelan, a former US marine in prison in Russia since 2018 and serving a 16-year sentence on espionage charges, is also pushing to be included in any future prisoner exchange.
