MOSCOW, November 28. /TASS/. Moscow’s Lefortovsky District Court has extended the arrest and detention of US national Evan Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal reporter facing espionage charges, the court said in a statement.

"Moscow’s Lefortovsky District Court has ruled on November 28, 2023, to extend the arrest and term of custodial detention of Evan Gershkovich, charged under Article 276 of the Russian Criminal Code (‘Espionage’), by two months for a total of ten months, that is, until January 30, 2024," the court statement reads.

According to Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), Gershkovich, acting at the behest of the US, collected information constituting a state secret about the activities of Russian defense sector companies. In this connection, the journalist was detained in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg. Criminal charges were filed against him under Article 276 of the Russian Criminal Code ("Espionage"). On March 30, Moscow’s Lefortovsky District Court ordered that Gershkovich be held in custody.