US journalist arrested by Russia, doubt of spying
The FSB security service tells a US journalist operating for The Wall Street Journal has been jailed in Russia on suspicion of spying.
During his arrest, Evan Gershkovich, an experienced Russia correspondent, was operating in Yekaterinburg.
Russian security arrests US journalist Evan Gershkovich:
The Wall Street Journal expressed it was “extremely concerned” for his safety and vehemently refused the allegations against him. The Kremlin argued the journalist had been “caught red-handed”.
The FSB stated it had “stopped illegal activities” and that the journalist had been “acting on US instructions” and “gathering state secrets”.
This week, Mr Gershkovich’s last piece was written on Russia’s deteriorating economy and how the Kremlin had to deal with “ballooning military costs” while handling social spending.
The FSB confirmed in its report that he had foreign ministry accreditation while operating in Yekaterinburg, 1,800km (1,100 miles) east of Moscow.
But it continued that he had been jailed “acting on US instructions” and had “gathered information including a state secret regarding the activities of a Russian defence enterprise”. It added that the FSB’s research department had conducted a criminal spying case.
In a report, the Wall Street Journal expressed solidarity with the journalist and his family: “The Wall Street Journal vehemently refuses the allegations from the FSB and aims for the immediate freedom of our trusted and dedicated journalist, Evan Gershkovich.”
The Kremlin even commented on the arrest of the American reporter. “This is the duty of the FSB; they have already given a statement,” a representative said. “The only thing I can say is, as far as we know, he was detained red-handed.”
Also, before the full-scale attack on Ukraine in February 2022, reporting from Russia had become increasingly complex.
Independent reporters were named “foreign agents”, and BBC Russia correspondent Sarah Rainsford was ousted from the country.
When the war started, Russia introduced a criminal violation for reporting “fake news” or “disproving the army”, under which many Russians have been sentenced for criticising the attack on social media.
