He tries to keep himself in shape during the hourlong exercise period he is permitted each day. Friends who correspond with him describe Mr. Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal reporter, as positive, strong and rarely discouraged, despite facing the official wrath of President Vladimir V. Putin’s Russia. He is scheduled go on trial Wednesday, facing up to 20 years in prison on an espionage charge that he, his employer and the U.S. State Department vehemently deny. At the heart of Mr. Gershkovich’s ordeal is a void — the absence of any evidence made public by the Russian authorities to support their claim that he was a spy. Nor is any likely to emerge from his trial in Yekaterinburg, which has been declared secret, with any observers barred from attending, and his lawyers prohibited from publicly revealing anything they learn.

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Persons: Evan Gershkovich, ”, Gershkovich, Vladimir V, Maria Borzunova Organizations: Street Journal, U.S . State Department Locations: Moscow’s, United States, Russia, Russian, Yekaterinburg