US journalist Evan Gershkovich's appeal against his pre-trial detention in a Moscow prison has been rejected by a Russian court.
Mr Gershkovich has been ordered to be held at least until 29 May on espionage charges.
Mr Gershkovich, a reporter for the Wall Street Journal, looked calm and smiled as he stood in a glass and metal cage, wearing a checked shirt with his arms folded in front of him.
He did not say anything, but turned around when one of the Russian reporters in the courtroom told him to "Hold fast!" and relayed to him that everyone said "Hi".
US Ambassador Lynne Tracy stood nearby.
Russia's FSB security service arrested Mr Gershkovich on 29 March in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg on espionage charges that carry a possible 20-year prison sentence for collecting what it said were state secrets about the military industrial complex, a charge he denies.
The Kremlin has said Mr Gershkovich, the first US journalist detained in Russia on espionage charges since the end of the Cold War, was caught "red-handed."
The United States has deemed him "wrongfully detained," his employer and colleagues have said he is innocent, and President Joe Biden has called his detention illegal.
Today's hearing is essentially procedural, covering how Mr Gershkovich should be detained as he awaits trial, not about the substance of the charges against him as investigators are still working on the details of the case.
Court documents gave nothing more than basic details about the case. The court said it was forbidden to publish some documents. A Russian lawyer for Mr Gershkovich did not respond to a request for comment.
Mr Gershkovich, the American son of Soviet emigres, is being held at the Lefortovo prison, which in Soviet times was run by the KGB but is now operated by the Federal Penitentiary Service.
Traditionally it has been used to hold those suspected by the FSB of spying and other grave crimes.
Ms Tracy, the US Ambassador, said yesterday that she had made her first visit to Mr Gershkovich.
"He feels well and is holding up. We reiterate our call for Evan's immediate release," she said in a statement.
In Washington, the White House said it hopes to get regular consular access to Mr Gershkovich.
"It was good to get to see him today and again we want to make sure we can continue to do that," White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said.
The United States last week designated Mr Gershkovich as "wrongfully detained", in effect saying that the spy charges were bogus and the case was political.
The US hostage envoy has pledged to do "whatever it takes" to bring home Mr Gershkovich and Paul Whelan, an American ex-Marine who was convicted of espionage in 2020 and has also been designated by Washington as wrongfully detained.
Mr Whelan also holds Irish, British and Canadian passports.
