American journalist Evan Gershkovich, accused of espionage, goes to trial behind closed doors in the city of Yekaterinburg, Russia.
The 32-year-old is accused of collecting secret information about Uralvagonzavod, a plant that makes tanks for Russia's war in Ukraine, on orders from the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
If Gershkovich is convicted, he will be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison.
He Wall Street Journalwhere Gershkovich worked, as well as the US government have rejected prosecutors' claims.
Closed-door trials are standard procedure in Russia for cases of alleged treason or espionage involving classified state material, which can typically last several months.
The Kremlin says the case and its provisions fall within the court's jurisdiction, but has claimed, without publishing evidence, that Gershkovich was caught “red-handed.”
The United States has accused Russia of carrying out “hostage diplomacy.” He has called Gershkovich and another imprisoned American, Paul Whelan, “unjustly detained” and has said he is committed to bringing them home.
The WSJ declined to comment on the purpose of his reporting trip to Russia's Ural region or on prosecutors' specific allegation that Gershkovich was trying to gather information about Uralvagonzavod, a supplier of tanks to Russia's war in Ukraine. .
