Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich will remain behind bars in Russia on espionage charges after losing his appeal.

Gershkovich appeared in a Russian court on Tuesday for his hearing, where a judge rejected his request for release.

The decision will keep the journalist in prison until at least November 30 – unless a new appeal is heard, which is unlikely.

The journalist was detained in March, during a reporting trip to the city of Yekaterinburg, about 2,000 kilometers (1,200 miles) east of Moscow. He has since been held in prison on espionage charges, which carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison.

A few weeks ago, a Moscow court refused to hear his appeal for release, citing a procedural flaw and sending the case back to a lower court.

Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich to remain behind bars in Russia on espionage charges after losing appeal

Gershkovich, dressed in a blue shirt, T-shirt and jeans, appeared in a glass cage at the Moscow City Court as he again appealed his release.

Gershkovich, dressed in a blue shirt, T-shirt and jeans, appeared in a glass cage at the Moscow City Court as he again appealed his release. He looked at the court cameras with a blank expression

Cameras were allowed to photograph him before the hearing began. Court proceedings are closed because prosecutors say details of the criminal case are classified.

The Russian Federal Security Service claimed that Gershkovich, “acting on the instructions of the American side, collected information constituting a state secret on the activities of one of the enterprises of the Russian military-industrial complex.”

Gershkovich and the Journal deny the allegations, and the U.S. government has said he was wrongly detained. Russian authorities have not detailed any evidence to support the espionage accusations.

He is being held in Lefortovo prison in Moscow, known for its harsh detention conditions. Gershkovich is the first American journalist to face espionage charges in Russia since 1986, when Nicholas Daniloff, Moscow correspondent for US News and World Report, was arrested by the KGB.

Analysts have pointed out that Moscow could use imprisoned Americans as bargaining chips after US-Russian tensions escalated when Russia sent troops to Ukraine. At least two US citizens arrested in Russia in recent years – including WNBA star Brittney Griner – were exchanged for Russians imprisoned in the United States

The Russian Foreign Ministry said it would only consider an exchange for Gershkovich after the verdict in his trial. In Russia, espionage trials can last more than a year.

Gershkovich is seen in court on October 10 before his appeal is rejected

The Russian Foreign Ministry said it would only consider a prisoner exchange for Gershkovitch after the verdict in his trial.

He is being held in Lefortovo prison in Moscow, known for its harsh detention conditions. Gershkovich is the first American journalist to face espionage charges in Russia since 1986.

Gershkovich’s parents said Joe Biden promised he would “do whatever it takes” to free their son.

The 32-year-old journalist’s parents also said Secretary of State Anthony Blinken had given similar assurances and said he “would not rest” until their son returned.

Gershkovich has spent more than five months in Moscow’s notorious Lefortovo prison since his arrest on espionage charges on March 29 while reporting on the Wagner Group.

Mikhail Gershkovich and Ella Milman met while working in New York after fleeing the Soviet Union in 1979, and raised Evan and his sister in New Jersey.

In an interview with ABC News, the two provided an update on Gershkovich’s well-being and their ongoing conversations with U.S. officials.

“President Biden spoke to us and promised to do whatever it takes. He spoke to us as a parent and he told us he understood our pain,” Millman said.

Gershkovich’s parents said President Joe Biden assured them he would “do whatever it takes” to free their son from Russian imprisonment.

Gershkovich in Russia. Gershkovich was incarcerated in Moscow’s Lefortovo prison, which dates from Tsarist times and has been a terrifying symbol of repression since Soviet times.

Mikhail Gershkovich reiterated the support the couple had received from Biden and suggested the president’s commitment was reassuring and credible.

“President Biden said this was a personal matter for him, because of his son, and that gives us great comfort,” he said.

Millman said it wasn’t just Biden they had spoken with since their son’s arrest.

“We also met with Secretary of State Blinken. He showed us his card with the names of all Americans unjustly detained around the world,” she said.

“Evan’s name was also on that list, and he promised us he wouldn’t rest until all the names were crossed off his list.”

Since his arrest in March, the parents have made multiple trips to Russia. They attended a court hearing last month at which it was decided he would remain in prison until at least last August.