MOSCOW (AP) — A Russian court is scheduled to hear a defense appeal of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich’s arrest on espionage charges which he and the U.S. government strenuously deny. The 31-year-old Gershkovich is the first U.S. correspondent since the Cold War to be detained in Russia for alleged spying. Russia’s Federal Security Service or FSB arrested Gershkovich in Russia’s fourth-largest city of Yekaterinburg on March 29. Authorities accused him of trying to obtain classified information about a Russian arms factory. Gershkovich, his employer and the U. S. government all deny he was involved in spying and have demanded his release. The Moscow City Court is set to consider a defense appeal of his arrest on Tuesday.