US journalist Evan Gershkovich appeared in a Russian court in Yekaterinburg on Wednesday morning for the start of his espionage trial.
Before the proceedings began, the media were briefly allowed into the courtroom to see him.
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reporter stood in the metal and glass cage, known in Russian courts as “the aquarium,” with his head shaven, wearing a checked shirt and jeans. Mr. Gershkovich smiled at the cameras.
For nearly 15 months, he has been imprisoned in a Moscow jail.
However, the trial is being held a thousand miles from the Russian capital, in Yekaterinburg, where he was arrested during a reporting trip.
Prosecutors claim Mr. Gershkovich was gathering classified information about a Russian tank manufacturer near Yekaterinburg on behalf of America’s Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
He, his employer, and the US government vehemently deny the accusation and the charge of espionage. If convicted, Mr. Gershkovich could face up to 20 years in prison.
“This is a bogus process. It’s outrageous and outlandish,” said Deborah Ball, deputy world coverage chief for Europe, Middle East, and Africa at the WSJ.
“[Evan] will not enjoy any of the due process that we would expect in any Western court. It will be closed-door. It will be secret.
“Russia’s acquittal rate is less than 1%. We don’t expect any chance of him being acquitted.”
On the streets of Yekaterinburg, there is little sign of the drama that unfolded on 29 March 2023. Russians stroll past the steakhouse where Evan Gershkovich was detained by Russian security agents. Across town, people sit outside playing chess as trams rumble by.
The WSJ has accused Moscow of “stockpiling Americans” in Russian jails to be traded for Russians imprisoned abroad.
The list of US citizens currently imprisoned in Russia includes former marine Paul Whelan. In 2020, he was convicted of espionage and sentenced to 16 years in a penal colony.
Mr. Whelan vehemently denies committing any crime. Like Evan Gershkovich, US officials have officially designated him as “wrongfully detained.”
Last year, Alsu Kurmasheva, a journalist with Prague-based Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), was arrested in Russia. Ms. Kurmasheva holds both American and Russian passports.
During a trip home to visit her ailing mother, she was detained. She was charged with spreading “false information” about the Russian armed forces over a book she helped edit, which contains criticism of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
If convicted, she could face up to 15 years in prison.
Among the other Americans behind bars in Russia are:
- Mark Fogel, a former teacher at the Anglo-American School of Moscow, which has now closed. He is serving a 14-year sentence for drug smuggling after 17g of marijuana were found in his luggage at Moscow airport. He claims he was using the drug for medical purposes
- Gordon Black, a US staff sergeant, sentenced by a court in Vladivostok to three years and nine months in a penal colony on charges of theft and threatening to kill his girlfriend.
When discussing the case of Mr. Gershkovich publicly, Russian President Vladimir Putin has suggested he is open to a prisoner swap, and there have been contacts between the US and Russia.
But whom does the Kremlin want in exchange?
President Putin has not specified any names, but he has provided a strong hint. When asked about Mr. Gershkovich a few months ago, the Russian president referenced the case of Vadim Krasikov.
Believed to be a Russian agent, Mr. Krasikov is currently serving a life sentence for murder in Germany.
“It’s evident that this is hostage diplomacy,” says Deborah Ball.
“The Russians have been perfectly plain about what their objective is. Putin has barely hidden the fact that he wants to trade Evan and regards him as a pawn. He’s a political hostage.”
The Kremlin is aware that America negotiates deals to secure the return of its citizens. In 2022, US authorities released convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout to secure the freedom of Brittney Griner, an American basketball star jailed in Russia on drug charges.
Now, an American journalist is on trial.
It remains uncertain how long Evan Gershkovich’s trial will last and how much longer the US reporter will remain in a Russian prison.
“It’s impossible for us to read this. We just don’t know, we’re shooting in the dark,” says Ms Ball.
“The Russians regard this process, this sham trial, as part of some process they envision. Where it fits into what happens next, we have absolutely no idea.”