Wall Street Journal journalist Evan Gershkovich has been arrested and accused of spying in Russia. Gershkovich, who has worked in Russia for over a year, was detained in Yekaterinburg, a city over 1,000 miles east of Moscow. The Wall Street Journal, for whom Gershkovich works, denied the allegations and expressed concern for his safety.
The Kremlin has stated that the reporter was caught red-handed, while the FSB security service claimed that he was acting on US instructions, collecting state secrets, and had foreign ministry accreditation. Gershkovich has denied the charges, and the Wall Street Journal has hired a lawyer to try to find him. In a statement, press freedom watchdog Reporters Without Borders said that his most recent piece involved the Russian mercenary group Wagner, which has taken part in fighting in eastern Ukraine. Espionage in Russia carries a maximum jail term of 20 years.
On Thursday, the Wall Street Journal reported that one of its reporters, Evan Gershkovich, had been formally arrested in Russia and accused of spying. Gershkovich, an experienced Russia reporter, was working in Yekaterinburg at the time of his detention. The Wall Street Journal expressed deep concern for his safety and denied the allegations against him. However, the Kremlin claimed that the reporter had been “caught red-handed,” and that the FSB security service had “halted illegal activities” and that Gershkovich had been “acting on US instructions” and “collecting state secrets.”
Hours later, the security service took him to Lefortovo district court in Moscow for his formal arrest. The court ordered his detention until 29 May. His lawyer said he had not been allowed into the courtroom, and the journalist had denied the charges. The FSB confirmed that Gershkovich had foreign ministry accreditation while working in Yekaterinburg, 1,800 km (1,100 miles) east of Moscow.
The Wall Street Journal said its reporter had dropped out of contact with his editors while working in Yekaterinburg on Wednesday afternoon. It had hired a lawyer to try to find him at the FSB headquarters in the city, but they told the lawyer they had no information.
The FSB claimed that Gershkovich had been detained “acting on US instructions” and that he had “collected information classified as a state secret about the activities of a Russian defense enterprise.” The agency said that its investigation department had launched a criminal espionage case, and one source told Russian media it was classified as “top secret.” Espionage in Russia carries a maximum jail term of 20 years.
Reporters Without Borders expressed alarm at what it called retaliation against journalists by the Russian authorities. Independent journalists were labeled “foreign agents,” and several US citizens are being held in Russia. This comes as tensions between the Kremlin and the West have become increasingly tense during Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Gershkovich has covered Russia for the Wall Street Journal for more than a year, having worked there previously for the AFP news agency and the Moscow Times. He began his career in the US. His most recent WSJ piece, published this week, reported on Russia’s declining economy and how the Kremlin was having to deal with “ballooning military expenditures” while maintaining social spending. Press freedom watchdog Reporters Without Borders said his latest piece involved Russian mercenary group Wagner, which has taken part in some of the heaviest fighting in eastern Ukraine.
The arrest of Gershkovich has been condemned by press freedom advocates, and there are concerns for his safety. It remains to be seen what will happen next in this case and whether it will have broader implications for journalists and media outlets reporting from Russia.
