Moscow court rejects Evan Gershkovich's appeal, keeping him in jail until at least June 30

MOSCOW (AP) — Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich will remain jailed on espionage charges until at least late June, after a Moscow court on Tuesday rejected his appeal that sought to end his pretrial detention.

The 32-year-old U.S. citizen was detained in late March 2023 while on a reporting trip and has spent over a year in jail, with authorities routinely extending his time behind bars and rejecting his appeals. Last month, his pretrial detention was continued yet again — until June 30 — in a ruling that he and his lawyers later challenged. A Moscow appellate court rejected it Tuesday.

In the courtroom on Tuesday, Gerhskovich, wearing a white T-shirt and an open checked shirt, looked relaxed, at times laughing and chatting with members of his legal team.

His arrest in the city of Yekaterinburg rattled journalists in Russia, where authorities have not detailed what, if any, evidence they have to support the espionage charges.

Gershkovich and his employer have denied the allegations, and the U.S. government has declared him to be wrongfully detained.

Analysts have pointed out that Moscow may be using jailed Americans as bargaining chips in soaring U.S.-Russian tensions over the Kremlin’s military operation in Ukraine. At least two U.S. citizens arrested in Russia in recent years — including WNBA star Brittney Griner — have been exchanged for Russians jailed in the U.S.

In December, the U.S. State Department said it had made a significant offer to secure the release of Gershkovich and Paul Whelan, another American imprisoned in Russia on espionage charges, which it said Moscow had rejected.

Officials did not describe the offer, although Russia has been said to be seeking the release of Vadim Krasikov, who was given a life sentence in Germany in 2021 for the killing in Berlin of Zelimkhan “Tornike” Khangoshvili, a 40-year-old Georgian citizen of Chechen descent who had fought Russian troops in Chechnya and later claimed asylum in Germany.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, asked this year about releasing Gershkovich, appeared to refer to Krasikov by pointing to a man imprisoned by a U.S. ally for “liquidating a bandit” who had allegedly killed Russian soldiers during separatist fighting in Chechnya.

Beyond that hint, Russian officials have kept mum about the talks. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov repeatedly said that while “certain contacts” on swaps continue, “they must be carried out in absolute silence.”

Gershkovich is the first American reporter to be arrested on espionage charges in Russia since September 1986, when Nicholas Daniloff, a Moscow correspondent for U.S. News and World Report, was arrested by the KGB.

Daniloff was released without charge 20 days later in a swap for an employee of the Soviet Union’s U.N. mission who was arrested by the FBI, also on spying charges.

Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich gestures in a glass cage in a courtroom at the First Appeals Court of General Jurisdiction in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, April 23, 2024. A court will considers an appeal against the arrest of WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich who was detained on espionage charges in Yekaterinburg last year. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich speaks with his lawyers standing in a glass cage in a courtroom at the First Appeals Court of General Jurisdiction in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, April 23, 2024. A court will considers an appeal against the arrest of WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich who was detained on espionage charges in Yekaterinburg last year. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich stands in a glass cage in a courtroom at the First Appeals Court of General Jurisdiction in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, April 23, 2024. A court will considers an appeal against the arrest of WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich who was detained on espionage charges in Yekaterinburg last year. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich stands in a glass cage in a courtroom at the First Appeals Court of General Jurisdiction in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, April 23, 2024. A court will considers an appeal against the arrest of WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich who was detained on espionage charges in Yekaterinburg last year. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich speaks with his lawyers standing in a glass cage in a courtroom at the First Appeals Court of General Jurisdiction in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, April 23, 2024. A court will considers an appeal against the arrest of WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich who was detained on espionage charges in Yekaterinburg last year. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich stands in a glass cage in a courtroom at the First Appeals Court of General Jurisdiction in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, April 23, 2024. A court will consider an appeal against the arrest of WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was detained on espionage charges in Yekaterinburg last year. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich stands in a glass cage in a courtroom at the First Appeals Court of General Jurisdiction in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, April 23, 2024. A court will considers an appeal against the arrest of WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich who was detained on espionage charges in Yekaterinburg last year. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich speaks with his lawyers standing in a glass cage in a courtroom at the First Appeals Court of General Jurisdiction in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, April 23, 2024. A court will considers an appeal against the arrest of WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich who was detained on espionage charges in Yekaterinburg last year. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich speaks with his lawyer standing in a glass cage in a courtroom at the First Appeals Court of General Jurisdiction in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, April 23, 2024. A court will considers an appeal against the arrest of WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich who was detained on espionage charges in Yekaterinburg last year. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich stands in a glass cage in a courtroom at the First Appeals Court of General Jurisdiction in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, April 23, 2024. A court will consider an appeal against the arrest of WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was detained on espionage charges in Yekaterinburg last year. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Cam Rising threw for 92 yards and two touchdowns before leaving the game due to an injury to his throwing hand as No. 11 Utah beat Baylor 23-12 on Saturday.

Rising scrambled and released the ball just before being driven out of bounds and was shoved into the water coolers on the Baylor sideline with 1:55 left in the second quarter and went to the locker room for X-rays.

Rising returned to the sidelines in street clothes with the middle fingers of his right hand taped together.

The team did not provide additional information about the quarterback's injury and Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said after the game only that Rising's injury is “not real serious.”

Backup quarterback Isaac Wilson led the Utes’ offense after halftime for a second straight game. Utah had only 95 yards in the second half with Wilson leading the offense.

“Certainly, when Cam left the game that was a downer for us,” Whittingham said. “But the world can’t stop turning when Cam exits a game. We got to keep playing, which we did, but we got to be productive, which we were not real productive on offense.”

Micah Bernard rushed for 118 yards to lead Utah (2-0).

Dequan Finn threw for 115 yards and a touchdown in his second start for Baylor (1-1). Finn struggled against Utah’s defense, losing a fumble and getting sacked three times.

“I think he got caught up and wanted to prove people wrong and wanted to make the play and do all these things,” Baylor coach Dave Aranda said. “And I think we’re still fighting that.”

Utah controlled play on both sides of the ball in the first half.

The Utes got on the board midway through the first quarter when Money Parks caught a short pass and turned it into a 28-yard reverse. Rising faked a handoff to Dijon Stanley before flipping the ball to Parks, who scored untouched.

Utah extended its lead to 14-0 on a 2-yard catch by Micah Bernard 20 seconds later. Connor O’ Toole forced Finn to fumble on a blindside hit and Karene Reid recovered the ball at the Baylor 3, setting up the Utes’ second touchdown.

Baylor had minus-10 yards on 10 plays in the first quarter.

Tao Johnson grabbed the ball on a blocked 50-yard field goal attempt and then raced 77 yards down the sideline to extend Utah’s lead to 23-0 with 5:21 left in the second quarter. Johnson was the first Utah player to score a touchdown off a blocked field goal since Jay Hill in 1999 against Wyoming.

It was also just the fifth touchdown off a blocked field goal in school history.

“I was debating on getting out of the way or catching it,” Johnson said. “And I was like, ‘Screw it, I’m gonna catch it.’ So I caught it, took off, and it was just green grass.”

THE TAKEAWAY

Baylor: The Bears had a nightmarish start on offense and never fully recovered. Baylor did not gain a first down until midway through the second quarter and totaled 48 yards by halftime.

Utah: Another dominant performance for the Utes came at a price. Rising suffered an apparent injury to his throwing hand and an extended absence could affect the trajectory of Utah’s season.

GETTING THE CALL

Wilson struggled to move the chains in his second career college game. The true freshman completed 4 of 9 passes for 30 yards. But he will start for Utah against in-state rival Utah State if Rising is unable to return to the lineup.

Whittingham expressed confidence in Wilson to get the job done if he ends up being the team's No. 1 quarterback for an indefinite period.

“He just needs to accrue reps,” Whittingham said. “He is taking steps forward. He’s our guy. He’s the no. 2 guy clearly right now. That’s where we’re at with Isaac.”

Wilson is eager to take a big step forward if he does get his first career start.

“I came into that situation out of nowhere but I got to be ready,” Wilson said. “I got to be there for my teammates. There’s a lot of plays I could have had back and we’re going to go into the film room and we’re going to evaluate that.”

POLL IMPLICATIONS

Utah should move into the top 10 in the next AP Poll on Sunday following the victory.

UP NEXT

Baylor: Hosts Air Force on Saturday.

Utah: At Utah State on Saturday.

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

Utah quarterback Cameron Rising (7) throws against Baylor in the first half during an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

Utah quarterback Cameron Rising (7) tcarries the ball; against Baylor in the first half during an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

Utah quarterback Cameron Rising (7) runs past Baylor linebacker Keaton Thomas (11) in the first half during an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)