The U.S. ambassador to Russia was granted access on Monday to jailed Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, the newspaper reported, the second such visit since his pre-trial detention in March on espionage charges he denies. A judge on June 22 rejected an application for Gershkovich, 31, to be released from a Moscow prison while awaiting trial. Russia has said Gershkovich was caught trying to obtain military secrets while on a trip to the Russian city of Yekaterinburg, but has provided no detail supporting that assertion. The Wall Street Journal denies the allegations. Relations between Russia and the United States are the lowest for more than 60 years because of Russia's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Source: Wall Street Journal July 03, 2023 15:24 UTC