RUSSIA: Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich was convicted of espionage today and sentenced to 16 years on charges that his employer and the United States have rejected as fabricated.

The conclusion of the trial perhaps cleared the way for a prisoner swap between Moscow and Washington.

Mr Gershkovich was detained in March 2023 while on a reporting trip to the Ural Mountains city of Yekaterinburg and accused of spying for the US.