The prosecution in Russia's closed trial of American journalist Evan Gershkovich for alleged espionage requested an 18-year prison term on Friday, as the case with grave implications for press freedom in Russia moved rapidly toward an inevitable conviction.
Gershkovich's arrest in March 2023 seemed to mark a brazen new chapter in hostage diplomacy, by which the Kremlin details foreigners on baseless charges only to use them to negotiate exchanges for Russians convicted of serious crimes in the West.
Senior Russian and U.S. officials have said that talks about an exchange involving Gershkovich are underway but, according to Kremlin policy, would only proceed once the trial is over.
Gershkovich, who was accredited as a journalist by Russia's Foreign Ministry, was detained while on a reporting trip to Yekaterinburg and accused of spying. He pleaded not guilty.
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