Russia extends the detention of American journalist Gershkovich until the end of August

Russia claims that the American journalist is espionage

A Russian court ruled to extend the detention of the American journalist Ivan Gershkovich Until next August 30th.

The Russian Foreign Ministry had announced a few weeks ago, rejecting the request of the American embassy to conduct a consular visit to imprisoned journalist accused of espionage.

This was in response to the United States’ refusal to issue entry visas to Russian journalists who were going to accompany their country’s foreign minister to the United Nations at that time.

“The US embassy was informed that its request for a consular visit on May 11 … to the American journalist (Ivan) Gershkovitch, who was arrested on espionage charges, was denied,” the ministry said.

“Other response procedures are being prepared, which will be duly notified to the American side,” she added.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov expressed his regret over the United States’ refusal to grant entry visas to Russian journalists who were supposed to accompany him on Monday and Tuesday to the United Nations in New York, where Russia holds the rotating presidency of the Security Council this month.

“We will not forget and we will not forgive,” Lavrov said before heading to New York.

This new tension between Moscow and Washington comes weeks after the arrest of the American journalist Ivan Gershkovitch in Russia on charges of espionage, but the latter and the newspaper in which he works and officials have strongly denied this.

US Ambassador to Russia Lynn Tracy was able to visit him for the first time on April 17 at the center where he is being held in Moscow.