MOSCOW, February 20. /TASS/. The Moscow City Court has rejected an appeal to extend the detention of American journalist Evan Gershkovich, who is accused of spying in Russia, the court's press service told TASS.

"The Moscow City Court, having considered the appeal against the decision of the Lefortovo District Court to extend the period of Evan Gershkovich's detention, decided to leave the court's decision unchanged and not to satisfy the defendant's appeal. Gershkovich will remain in custody until March 30, 2024," the press service said.

The session was held behind closed doors, as the case contains classified material.

According to the Center for Public Relations of Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB), Gershkovich, "acting as an agent for the American side, collected top-secret data about the activity of an enterprise of the Russian military-industrial complex." In this connection, the journalist was detained in Yekaterinburg at the end of March 2023; criminal proceedings were initiated against him under Article 276 of the Russian Criminal Code ("Espionage").