MOSCOW, September 19. /TASS/. The Moscow City Court has upheld the decision to extend by three months the detention of US citizen Evan Gershkovich, a correspondent of The Wall Street Journal charged with espionage.

"The court considered the appeal against the decision of Lefortovo court to extend the period of Gershkovich's detention and ordered to leave the decision of the first instance unchanged and to leave the appeal of the defendant’s lawyers without satisfaction," the court said.

The hearing was held behind closed doors, as the case contains confidential materials. Earlier, the journalist's arrest was extended until November 30.

According to the FSB Public Relations Center, Gershkovich, "acting at the behest of the American side, collected information constituting a state secret about the activities of an enterprise within Russia’s military-industrial complex." Gershkovich was detained in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg in late March. The journalist was charged with espionage under Article 276 of the Russian Criminal Code. He pleads not guilty.