US journalist Evan Gershkovich goes on trial in Russia

The espionage case against the Wall Street Journal reporter remains opaque, and the US insists the charges are unfounded.

Transcript

00:00Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich is facing trial in Russia almost a year after

00:08being arrested on espionage charges.

00:12Gershkovich appeared with a shaved head in the glass defendant's cage a few minutes before

00:17the hearing commenced behind closed doors in the country's southwest.

00:23The Kremlin arrested the 32-year-old journalist on spying allegations that he, his employer

00:29and the U.S. deny.

00:32Washington says Gershkovich was wrongfully detained with Wall Street Journal executives

00:37describing the charges as a sham.

00:41Russian authorities alleged that he was gathering information for the U.S. intelligence services

00:46while on assignment.

00:49The U.S. born son of USSR immigrants is the first Western journalist arrested for spying

00:55in post-Soviet Russia.

00:58Gershkovich faces up to 20 years in prison, a sentence that he will likely serve as Russia

01:04convicts 99 percent of defendants.

01:07The Kremlin, however, has not ruled out a prisoner exchange but says it is not possible

01:12before a verdict.