INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
United States reporter Evan Gershkovich has appealed against a Russian court's decision to extend his pre-trial detention by three
months, according to documents published by a Moscow court.Gershkovich was detained in March during a reporting trip to the Urals and
custody was due to expire on Aug
30, but a judge ruled Thursday it would be extended to Nov
30, a decision criticised by the WSJ and United States State Department.The Moscow City Court website showed this additional three-month
extension had been "appealed" by his defense.Gershkovich, unlike many Western reporters, had continued to report from Russia during Moscow's
offensive in Ukraine.His case marks the first time a Western journalist has been arrested on espionage charges in Russia since the Soviet
era.Since launching full-scale hostilities against Ukraine last year, Russia has made it more difficult for journalists from the West to
obtain accreditation and work in the country.Several United States citizens have been handed heavy sentences in Russia in recent years
Washington accuses Moscow of using them as bargaining chips to obtain the release of Russians held in the United States
