Russia sets date for first hearing in trial of Evan Gershkovich

June 17 (UPI) -- Russian officials said on Monday that the first hearing in the trial of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich will take place next week.

Gershkovich, designated as wrongly detained by the U.S. government, is expected to appear at the Sverdlovsk Regional Court in Yekaterinburg on June 26 in a closed-door session, Russia's state-run TASS news agency reported.

Russia accused him of collecting information on a defense contractor for the CIA when he was arrested in Yekaterinburg in March 2023.

However, the Wall Street Journal has long said that Gershkovich was on an assignment for the newspaper and has strongly condemned the Russian assertion.

Judge Andrei N. Mineev of the Sverdlovsk regional court in Yekaterinburg will hear his trial.

Russian prosecutors have not publicly disclosed any evidence of Gershkovich working with the CIA. He is currently being held at Moscow's Lefortovo prison and in the past had been rumored to be part of a prisoner exchange.

Last week, Russia's prosecutor's office said the Federal Security Service, or FSB, had finalized Gershkovich's indictment. It accused the reporting of being instructed by the CIA to gather "secret information" on defense manufacturer Uralvagonzavod.

The journalist could serve up to 20 years if found guilty on the Russian charges.

Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this year suggested that Gershkovich could be released in a prisoner swap, saying in February that "special services are in contact with one another" and he believed "an agreement can be reached."

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Monday confirmed that "such interaction does exist" but said Moscow does not plan to release any details given the sensitive nature of the discussions, TASS reported.

"It is underway and must be kept completely under wraps," Peskov said. "No announcements, statements or information must be provided on the matter."