Russia has announced plans for a private trial of detained US journalist Evan Gershkovich, set to take place later this month in the city of Yekaterinburg.

The Sverdlovsk Regional Court stated on Monday that the initial hearing, scheduled for June 26, will be conducted “behind closed doors”. Meanwhile, the Kremlin has indicated a willingness to discuss a potential prisoner exchange.

The court alleges that Gershkovich, who was working for The Wall Street Journal at the time of his arrest in the Siberian city last year, was gathering “confidential information” in March 2023 under the directives of the CIA.

The charges against him, which could lead to a 20-year prison sentence, accuse the journalist of espionage concerning the production and repair of military hardware at the defense enterprise JSC NPK Uralvagonzavod, where he was detained by the Federal Security Service (FSB).

‘Outrageous’

Following last week’s revelation that Gershkovich would face trial for his “CIA work”, The Wall Street Journal labeled the charges against the reporter as “a false and baseless accusation” built on “deliberate and clear untruths”.

“Russia’s latest step towards a sham trial is, although anticipated, deeply disappointing and still entirely outrageous,” read a letter from publisher Almar Latour and editor-in-chief Emma Tucker.

“Evan has been unjustly detained in a Russian prison for doing his job as a journalist for 441 days. The Russian regime’s defamation of Evan is vile, shameful, and founded on calculated and transparent fabrications.”

Latour and Tucker emphasized their expectation that the US government would intensify efforts to secure his release.

Gershkovich has repeatedly appealed his detention but has seen no success.

The arrest of the first American journalist in Russia on espionage charges since the Cold War has startled Western media organizations, essentially leaving no US reporters in Russia.

The White House has dismissed the charges as “ridiculous”, with President Joe Biden stating that the detention was “completely unlawful”.

Russia maintains that the reporter was apprehended “red-handed”.

Prisoner swap

Russian President Vladimir Putin has indicated that there has been communication with Washington regarding a possible prisoner exchange for the reporter, though he underscored that such talks should remain out of the public eye.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov declined to explain on Monday why Gershkovich’s trial would be private, noting that it was a court decision.

Russia undertakes some of its most secretive weapons production and research at the Uralvagonzavod enterprise located in Nizhny Tagil, which Gershkovich is accused of espionage against.

The enterprise, part of Rostec—Russia’s large defense corporation managed by Putin ally Sergei Chemezov and subject to US sanctions—has publicly discussed manufacturing T-90M battle tanks and upgrading T-72B3M tanks.