The arrest of 31-year-old Evan Gershkovich turned into a diplomatic confrontation between Moscow and Washington. The journalist faces up to 20 years in prison on charges of espionage.
US President Joe Biden is aware that The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reporter Evan Gershkovich was detained in Moscow on espionage charges. Spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said at a briefing that the White House found all allegations baseless.
Russian FSB employees detained 31-year-old Gershkovich in Yekaterinburg, accusing him of collecting information about one of the enterprises of the military-industrial complex. The journalist worked in the Moscow office of the WSJ and wrote about what was happening in Russia.
“All accusations of espionage are absolutely ridiculous. The authorities’ persecution of Americans in Russia is unacceptable. We condemn this and all the persecution and repression of journalists in the Russian Federation,” he said.
He added that the American embassy in Moscow has already asked the Russian Foreign Ministry to provide consular assistance to the detainee.
Law enforcement is examining all the circumstances of the detention of a journalist, a US citizen. A White House spokesman urges Americans not to travel to Russia and those who are there to leave immediately.
“Americans shouldn’t be in Russia. It’s just dangerous,” summed up Jean-Pierre.
A similar call was made by US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken on March 30. He said the states are deeply concerned about Gershkovich’s arrest.
Arrest of WSJ reporter Gershkovich in Russia: first case since the Cold War
WSJ editors stress that Gershkovich’s arrest is the first case since the Cold War. The publication highlights that the arrest of 31-year-old Russian-speaking Gershkovich, whose parents came to the United States from the Soviet Union, turned into a diplomatic confrontation between Moscow and Washington.
Gershkovich is accredited to work as a journalist at the Russian Foreign Ministry. Arrested until May 29, the journalist will remain in the pre-trial detention center in Lefortovo.
According to Russian media, Gershkovich allegedly collected information on the activities of the Ural defense enterprises. Under article 276 (espionage) of the Russian Criminal Code, a journalist faces up to 20 years in prison.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said at a briefing that the American was “caught red-handed”.
Most recently, a foreign journalist was accused of spying in the USSR. On August 30, 1986, KGB officers arrested US News & World Report correspondent Nicholas Daniloff in Moscow.
Ronald Reagan, the 40th President of the United States, viewed this arrest as revenge for the detention in New York of Gennady Zakharov, an employee of the USSR’s UN mission, who was also suspected of spying. Zakharov pleaded guilty at the trial.
Recall that on March 30, Russian PR man Yaroslav Shirshikov spoke about the disappearance of Gershkovich. Shirshikov said that the American wanted to prepare a text about the Russian Wagner PMC.
On March 30, the Finnish Security and Intelligence Service reported that the Russian spy network in the country had doubled. Moscow still places intelligence officers at its embassy in Helsinki.
Source: Focus
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