Russian investigators have formally charged Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich with espionage, Russian state media reported Friday.
Gershkovich denied the accusations, according to the state news agency TASS. The newspaper has "vehemently" denied the Kremlin's claims and the chief executive of Dow Jones, which publishes The Wall Street Journal, said it is working "around the clock" to secure his release.
"The FSB investigation charged Gershkovich with espionage in the interests of his country. He categorically denied all accusations and stated that he was engaged in journalistic activities in Russia," an agency representative said, according to TASS.
The representative declined to comment further, as the journalist's case was marked "top secret," the state news agency said.
Dow Jones later reiterated its view that Gershkovich's charges are "false and unjustified," according to a statement, The company added: "We continue to demand Evan’s immediate release.”
What the US has said about the case: US President Joe Biden's administration is preparing to officially declare Gershkovich wrongfully detained in Russia, two US officials told CNN earlier this week, a move that will trigger new government resources to work toward his release.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke last weekend with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and called for Gershkovich’s immediate release. The White House has said there is "no reason to believe" Russia's justification for the detention.
More background: Gershkovich is the first US journalist detained on spying accusations by Moscow since the Cold War. His detention came a week after US authorities announced charges against a Russian national, Sergey Vladimirovich Cherkasov, accusing him of being a Russian spy.
The episode signals a significant ratcheting of both Moscow’s tensions with the United States and its campaign against foreign news media, which has been under intense pressure since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine last year.
CNN's Kylie Atwood, Sarah Dean, Julia Horowitz, Eliza Mackintosh and Jennifer Hansler contributed reporting to this post.
