WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich ordered to stand trial in Russia on charge of 'gathering secret information'

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Putin's corrupt, barbaric regime has stolen a year of Evan Gershkovich's life: Dan Hoffman

Former CIA Moscow station chief Dan Hoffman discusses Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich's Russian detainment on Fox News Live.

Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich – detained in Moscow’s notorious Lefortovo Prison for nearly 15 months on dubious spying charges – will stand trial, Russian authorities said Thursday, a move that was quickly condemned by WSJ leaders. 

An indictment of Gershkovich has been finalized, according to Russia’s Prosecutor General’s office, who accused the journalist of "gathering secret information" for the CIA about a facility that produced and repaired military equipment. This is the first time the details of the accusations against Gershkovich have been revealed. The WSJ called the charge "false and baseless." 

The 32-year-old has been detained in Russia since March 29, 2023, on previously vague espionage allegations that the U.S. government and the Wall Street Journal have called absurd. The U.S. has declared him wrongfully detained and repeatedly called for his immediate release.

DETAINED WSJ REPORTER EVAN GERSHKOVICH'S COLLEAGUES SPEAK OUT ON HIS PASSION FOR JOURNALISM, RUSSIA

Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich stands in a glass cage in a courtroom at the Moscow City Court, in Moscow, Russia, on Thursday, Dec. 14, 2023. (AP Photo/Dmitry Serebryakov)

The Associated Press noted that Russian "officials didn’t provide any evidence to back up the accusations" made against Gershkovich. 

Gershkovich will stand trial in the city of Yekaterinburg, where he was arrested last year during a reporting trip. The start date is unclear, and he faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted. U.S. Ambassador Lynne Tracy called the charges against him "fiction."

Dow Jones CEO and Wall Street Journal Publisher Almar Latour and Wall Street Journal Editor in Chief Emma Tucker issued a joint statement blasting the trial as a "sham." 

"Evan Gershkovich is facing a false and baseless charge. Russia’s latest move toward a sham trial is, while expected, deeply disappointing and still no less outrageous," the said. 

"Evan has spent 441 days wrongfully detained in a Russian prison for simply doing his job. Evan is a journalist. The Russian regime’s smearing of Evan is repugnant, disgusting and based on calculated and transparent lies. Journalism is not a crime. Evan’s case is an assault on free press," Latour and Tucker continued. "We continue to demand his immediate release. We had hoped to avoid this moment and now expect the US government to redouble efforts to get Evan released."

Gershkovich, the American-born son of Soviet immigrants, was accredited by Russia's Foreign Ministry to report in the country at the time of his arrest.

The Wall Street Journal has arranged numerous events to keep Gershkovich in the public consciousness, with runs, social media storms, Read-A-Thons, a recent BBQ, and various other efforts. Friends, family and admirers have been able to exchange letters with him, though they are screened by Russian authorities.

WALL STREET JOURNAL REPORTER EVAN GERSHKOVICH TURNS 32 WHILE WRONGFULLY DETAINED BY RUSSIA

The Associated Press noted that Russian "officials didn’t provide any evidence to back up the accusations" made against Evan Gershkovich.  (WSJ)

Gershkovich is the first American journalist to be arrested on spying allegations since the Cold War, underscoring the rock-bottom relations between the U.S. and Russia. In the past year, Gershkovich has been on the cover of TIME Magazine and mentioned in the State of the Union address by President Biden. 

Biden has personally called repeatedly for Gershkovich's release to no avail, and the journalist has continually lost appeals to end his pretrial detention. Former President Trump said earlier this year that the reporter would be freed after he was elected again.

Experts and people familiar with the case have told Fox News Digital that likely the best hope of freedom for Gershkovich — and fellow American held in Russia Paul Whelan — a high-profile prisoner swap.

Anyone interested in learning more about Gershkovich can visit WSJ.com/evan and FreeGershkovich.com.

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The Associated Press and Fox News Digital’s David Rutz contributed to this report.