Russia jails US journalist Gershkovich for 16 years

US journalist Evan Gershkovich has been convicted of espionage by a Russian court and sentenced to 16 years in a high-security penal colony, following a trial criticized as a "sham" by his employer, family, and the White House.

Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal reporter, was arrested in Yekaterinburg in March, accused of spying for the CIA, which he and the US deny. This is the first such conviction of a US journalist in Russia since the Cold War.

Western leaders have condemned the verdict, and the US views his detention as a potential bargaining chip for a prisoner swap.