A US journalist working for the Wall Street Journal has been arrested in Russia after being accused of spying Evan Gershkovich was arrested in the city of Yekaterinburg accused of trying to obtain classified information, Federal Security Service (FSB) said on Thursday.
Russia's security service, the FSB, said he was "acting on US instructions" and "collecting state secrets", while Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he had been caught "red-handed". Espionage in Russia carries a maximum jail sentence of 20 years.
Mr Gershkovich covers Russia and is based at the paper's Moscow bureau. The Wall Street Journal said it was "deeply concerned" for its reporter's safety.
It said it "vehemently denies the allegations from the FSB and seeks the immediate release of our trusted and dedicated reporter, Evan Gershkovich".
"We stand in solidarity with Evan and his family."
The FSB alleged the journalist was gathering information classified as a state secret about a military factory.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Mr Gershkovich was using his journalistic credentials as a cover for "activities that have nothing to do with journalism".
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Mr Gershkovich appeared in a closed session of a Moscow court on Thursday, where he pleaded not guilty of spying. The court ruled he would be held in pre-trial custody for nearly two months until 29 May, according to a court document.
The move marks a notable increase in tensions between Washington and Moscow 13 months after the invasion of Ukraine. American basketball star Brittney Griner was detained at a Moscow airport and jailed for carrying cannabis oil last year. It was 10 months before she was freed in exchange for notorious Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.
