Gershkovich, who is a reporter with The Wall Street Journal, was remanded in custody on espionage charges brought by Russia's FSB security agency in late March, according to reports at the time.
His detention on March 29 triggered angry denunciations from the United States and its allies, marking yet another low in US-Russian ties, Bloomberg reported this week, citing people familiar with the matter.
It noted that White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said last week that the release of the detained reporter was "a priority” for US President Joe Biden.
'These charges are ridiculous': White House
“These charges are ridiculous," Jean-Pierre told a news conference on April 4. "Evan is not a spy. Evan has never been a spy. Evan has never worked for the US government."
The Russian FSB said Gershkovich was detained in Yekaterinburg, on the eastern side of the Ural mountains, and claimed he was “trying to obtain secret information” about “the activities of one of the enterprises of the Russian military-industrial complex,” according to US broadcaster CNN.
Poland condemns Russia's detention of American journalist
Poland’s foreign ministry said in a statement last month that it "strongly protests against the detention of journalist Evan Gershkovich in Russia and demands his immediate release."
It added it believes that "the repressive actions of the Russian authorities against journalists, sportsmen and scientists performing their professional duties should meet with an adequate response."
(gs)
Source: polskieradio24.pl, Bloomberg, Reuters, cnn.com
