US ambassador visits Wall Street Journal reporter detained in Russia on charges of espionage

MOSCOW (AP) — The US embassy says its ambassador to Russia was allowed to visit Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who has been behind bars in Russia since March on charges of espionage. The last visit was in April. The embassy confirmed Monday’s visit but did not immediately provide more information. The 31-year-old U.S. citizen was arrested in the city of Yekaterinburg while on a reporting trip to Russia. A Moscow court last week upheld a ruling to keep him in custody until Aug. 30. Gershkovich and his employer denied the allegations, and the U.S. government declared him to be wrongfully detained.