Russia has today officially charged American Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich with spying.
Mr Gershkovich, 31, was arrested in Yekaterinburg, Russia’s fourth-largest city, on March 29 and was today formally charged the US journalist with espionage.
He was accused of "acting on the instructions of the American side” and collecting information “constituting a state secret about the activities of one of the enterprises of the Russian military-industrial complex”.
The Wall Street Journal reporter is widely seen as a victim of repression by Vladimir Putin’s regime and "categorically denies" all allegations.
He was engaged in legitimate journalism when he was detained by the FSB security service, according to colleagues. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in jail.
Russia’s Federal Security Service accused Gershkovich of trying to obtain classified information about a Russian arms factory. The Journal has denied the accusations.
State-run TASS news agency reported that Mr Gershkovich has denied the charge. Mr Gershkovich was ordered held behind bars for two months in Russia pending an investigation.
The US ambassador to Russia, Lynne T. Tracy, and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkovand met on Thursday to discuss his case, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
In a statement afterwards, the Russian side said: “It was emphasized that he was caught red-handed while trying to obtain secret information, using his journalistic status as a cover for illegal actions.”
The ministry added that “the hype in the United States around this case, which is aimed at putting pressure on the Russian authorities and the court, which should decide the fate of Gershkovich, is hopeless and senseless.”
Mr Gershkovich is the first US correspondent since the Cold War to be detained for alleged spying.
Lawyers representing Mr Gershkovich met with him on Tuesday for the first time since his detention, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Editor-in-Chief Emma Tucker said the paper was encouraged by the visit and Mr Gershkovich’s family is “relieved to know we finally have contact with Evan.”
“Evan’s health is good, and he is grateful for the outpouring of support from around the world. We continue to call for his immediate release,” Tucker said in a note to the newsroom Tuesday.
A Moscow court said Monday that it had received a defence appeal of his arrest; the appeal is to be heard on April 18, Russian news agencies reported.
On Sunday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had a - rare since the start of the Ukraine war - with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Mr Blinken urged Russian authorities to release Mr Gershkovich immediately, as well as another imprisoned American, Paul Whelan.
However, Mr Blinken said a formal determination of his wrongful detention has not yet been made, something that would elevate the priority of his case within the US government.
Mr Blinken said the legal process for such a determination would be completed soon.
“In Evan’s case, we are working through the determination on wrongful detention and there’s a process to do that and it’s something that we’re working through very deliberately, but expeditiously as well," he said. “And I’ll let that process play out.”
“In my own mind, there’s no doubt that he’s being wrongfully detained by Russia and that’s exactly what I said to Foreign Minister (Sergey) Lavrov when I spoke to him over the weekend and insisted that Evan be released immediately," Mr Blinken told reporters at NATO headquarters in Brussels.
"But I want to make sure, as always, because there is a formal process that we go through it and we will and I expect that to be completed soon.”
