A Russian court has sentenced Evan Gershkovich, a 32-year-old journalist for The Wall Street Journal, to 16 years in prison on charges of espionage. Detained by the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) in March 2023 while reporting in Yekaterinburg, Gershkovich was accused of gathering data on the Russian military’s industrial complex. This verdict marks the first time a US journalist has been arrested in Russia for espionage since the Cold War. The Wall Street Journal has labeled the charges as a “hoax.” Russian prosecutors claimed Gershkovich was collecting information on a company producing tanks for the Ukraine conflict under CIA orders.