MOSCOW, May 23. /TASS/. Moscow’s Lefortovo court on Tuesday extended by three months the arrest of Evan Gershkovich, a correspondent of The Wall Street Journal, accused of espionage.

The arrest of Evan Gershkovich, accused of committing a crime under Article 276 of the Criminal Code, was extended by three months until August 30, 2023, the court’s spokeswoman said.

The court session was held behind closed doors, because some materials featuring in the case are secret.

According to Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), Gershkovich, acting at the US’ behest, collected information constituting a state secret about the activities of Russian defense companies. The reporter was detained in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg. The FSB Investigative Department opened a criminal case against him under Article 276 of the Russian Criminal Code (espionage).

The Wall Street Journal published a report expressing deep concern over Gershkovich's safety. The newspaper said that Gershkovich worked at its Moscow bureau and his task was to cover events in Russia.