The US Ambassador to Russia visited journalist Gershkovich in the Lefortovo pre-trial detention center

US Ambassador to Russia Lynn Tracy visited The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) journalist Evan Gershkovich, arrested on charges of espionage, in a pre-trial detention center, the embassy in Moscow reported on its page on X (formerly Twitter)

“He remains strong and is following the news, including his parents’ appearance at the UN this week,” the statement said.

This is the fourth time Tracy has visited Gershkovich since he was held in the Lefortovo pre-trial detention center. The previous time she did this was on August 14th.

In August, Lefortovo Court of Moscow extended The journalist was detained until November 30; the defense appealed this decision. The FSB accused Gershkovich of espionage (Article 276 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). According to the department, the journalist was collecting information “about the activities of one of the enterprises of the Russian military-industrial complex.” The WSJ denied these accusations and emphasized that Gershkovich works in the Moscow bureau and covers events in Russia. The Kremlin stated that the journalist was “caught red-handed.” He was detained on March 30 in Yekaterinburg.

Previously, lawyers asked the court to release the journalist on bail of 50 million rubles, which Dow Jones was ready to post. Tracy called the espionage charges against Gershkowitz baseless and called for his release.

September 13 Gershkovich’s parents sent petition to the UN. The document states that the arrest of the journalist is a violation of human rights, and Russia must immediately release Gershkovich.