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American journalist Evan Gershkovich was recently arrested in Russia on suspicion of alleged espionage. On Thursday, March 30, the Federal Security Service (FSB) claimed that the Moscow-based Wall Street Journal correspondent was detained for attempting to obtain state secrets.
As per CNN, the FSB said Gershkovich was detained in Yekaterinburg, on the eastern side of the Ural Mountains.
Officials claimed that the reporter was allegedly “acting on the instructions of the American side” and “trying to obtain secret information” related to “the activities of one of the enterprises of the Russian military-industrial complex.”
The body also mentioned that its investigative department had launched a criminal espionage case against the journalist. A source allegedly told the Russian media that the case was classed as “top secret.”
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov alleged that Gershkovich was caught “red-handed”:
“This is the responsibility of the FSB, they have already issued a statement. The only thing I can add is, as far as we know, he was caught red-handed.”
The Wall Street Journal addressed the situation in an official statement and said that the organization was “deeply concerned” about the Gershkovich’s safety:
“The Wall Street Journal vehemently denies the allegations from the FSB and seeks the immediate release of our trusted and dedicated reporter, Evan Gershkovich. We stand in solidarity with Evan and his family.”
According to the BBC, the FSB took Gershkovich to the Lefortovo district court in Moscow, where he was formally arrested. The reporter was later seen being escorted from the court building before being driven away. The court reportedly ordered his detention until May 29.
Gershkovich’s lawyer said that he was allowed into the courtroom and Tass news agency reported that the former had denied the charge. The FSB previously noted that Gershkovich had accreditation from the Russian Foreign Ministry to work as a journalist in Yekaterinburg, 1,800km (1,100 miles) east of Moscow.
However, ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova alleged that the reporter was using his credentials as a cover for “activities that have nothing to do with journalism.”
As per two US officials, the US State Department began tracking Evan Gershkovich’s arrest on Wednesday afternoon before the news was publicly announced.
What is known about Evan Gershkovich?
Evan Gershkovich is an American journalist who covers Russia, Ukraine and the former Soviet Union as a correspondent for the Wall Street Journal’s Moscow bureau.
As per his bio on the WSJ website, Gershkovich has previously contributed to news agencies Agence France-Presse, the Moscow Times and the New York Times.
The journalist began his career in the U.S. and graduated from Bowdoin College in Maine in 2014. As per college president Clayton Rose, Gershkovich was a philosophy major and often cooperated with local papers to champion the free press.
Evan Gershkovich was reportedly born to Soviet immigrants and grew up in New York. He is fluent in Russian and spoke the language at home.
As part of his role in the Wall Street Journal, Evan Gershkovich covered Russia for more than a year. He ensured daily coverage of the Russia-Ukraine crisis at WSJ. In an interview with Bowdoin College, Gershkovich opened up about his experience of reporting from Moscow during the pandemic to Tom Porter. He said:
“When you start reporting in Russia, you often hear that it will be very hard to get people to talk. And while that may be true of Russian officialdom, though not all of it, I have found that if you go looking for the right people, many of them want to tell their stories.”
The reporter also recalled working for an Asian nonprofit before joining The New York Times as a news assistant and eventually moving to Russia to report for The Moscow Times.
Unfortunately, Evan Gershkovich was arrested in Russia on alleged accusations of suspected espionage. He has reportedly denied the charges.
Reports suggest that his most recent story for the WSJ was published this week and highlighted the decline in the Russian economy amid pressure on the Kremlin to deal with ballooning military expenditures while maintaining social spending.”
Gershkovich’s detention marked the first time an American journalist has been arrested in Moscow on spying or espionage charges since the Cold War. Nicholas D. Daniloff was the last American journalist detained in Russia on allegations of espionage in 1986.
Netizens share fear and concern over Evan Gershkovich’s arrest in Russia
American journalist Evan Gershkovich was recently arrested in Russia on alleged charges of espionage. The FSB accused him of “acting on US instructions” and claimed that he was “trying to obtain secret information.”
Both Gershkovich and the Wall Street Journal denied the allegations as U.S. state secretary Anthony Blinken mentioned that authorities are "deeply concerned" over the reporter's detention.
As news of the reporter’s arrest made the rounds online, several social media users took to Twitter to express fear and concern over Gershkovich’s situation.
Evan Gershkovich is the first American journalist detained for espionage allegations since Nicholas D. Daniloff’s arrest during the Cold War. On Thursday, a Russian district court in Moscow said that the journalist would be detained until May 29.
Several reports have mentioned that espionage charges in Russia carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
