Russia maintains a policy of not exchanging prisoners internationally unless they have been convicted, potentially opening the door for a swap involving the 32-year-old journalist.
Judge Andrei Mineyev sentenced Gershkovich to 16 years in a strict regime colony, announcing the punishment in court. Standing in a glass defendants’ cage wearing dark trousers and a T-shirt, Gershkovich did not react to the sentence and waved to his journalist colleagues as he was led away.
The Wall Street Journal correspondent, who pleaded not guilty, is the first journalist in Russia to be charged with spying since the Cold War. He was detained in Yekaterinburg in March 2023 and has spent nearly 16 months in detention on charges that the U.S. government and his employer believe are fabricated.
“This disgraceful, sham conviction comes after Evan has spent 478 days in prison, wrongfully detained, away from his family and friends, prevented from reporting, all for doing his job as a journalist,” the Journal’s publisher Almar Latour and editor-in-chief Emma Tucker said in a statement.
Press rights group Reporters Without Borders condemned the sentencing as “outrageous” and called for Gershkovich’s immediate release.
Washington believes he is being held as a bargaining chip for the release of Russians convicted abroad. His trial has moved swiftly since the first hearing in late June, with both prosecution and defense presenting their final arguments on Friday, in contrast to other Russian cases that often drag on for months.
When asked about a potential prisoner swap, the Kremlin refused to speculate. They have not provided public evidence for the spying allegations, claiming only that Gershkovich was caught “red-handed” spying on a tank factory in the Urals region and was working for the CIA. The prosecutor stated that Gershkovich acted with “careful measures of secrecy.”
Tensions between the U.S. and Russia are high due to Moscow’s military actions in Ukraine. Both countries have indicated openness to a prisoner exchange, but no timeline has been provided.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov mentioned ongoing talks between U.S. and Russian special services regarding possible exchanges, without naming specific individuals. President Vladimir Putin has hinted at a desire to see the release of Vadim Krasikov, a Russian convicted in Germany of assassinating a Chechen separatist commander.
Other U.S. nationals detained in Russia include dual U.S.-Russian citizens reporter Alsu Kurmasheva and ballerina Ksenia Karelina, and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, who is serving a 16-year sentence for spying.
Gershkovich, the U.S.-born son of Soviet emigres raised in New Jersey, has reported from Russia since 2017. He continued his work even after Russia’s offensive in Ukraine. While in Lefortovo prison, he communicated with friends and family through handwritten letters, maintaining hope.
At his first trial hearing on June 26, Gershkovich greeted journalists and appeared cheerful, despite having his head fully shaved, as it was on Friday.
A United Nations working group recently declared Gershkovich’s detention on spying charges as “arbitrary” and called for his immediate release.
“Evan has never been employed by the United States government. Evan is not a spy,” said U.S. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby last month.
The White House has advised U.S. citizens still in Russia to “depart immediately” due to the risk of wrongful detention.
