Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich has been sentenced to 16 years in a Russian penal colony on espionage charges, a verdict widely condemned as a sham by his employer and the U.S. government. Gershkovich, who was detained in March 2023 while on a reporting trip in Yekaterinburg, is the first U.S. journalist accused of spying in Russia since the Cold War. Russian authorities provided no public evidence to support their claims, which both Gershkovich and the U.S. have vehemently denied. The trial, which was unusually swift and held mostly behind closed doors, has fueled speculation about a potential prisoner exchange between the U.S. and Russia. The U.S. State Department has declared Gershkovich wrongfully detained and is working tirelessly for his release.