Russia has detained a U.S. citizen working for the Moscow bureau of The Wall Street Journal, drawing condemnation from the United States and press freedom groups. Evan Gershkovich was on a reporting assignment in the Ural mountain city of Yekaterinburg when he was detained by agents from Russia’s Federal Security Services, the FSB.
A Russian court formally arrested the American reporter on charges of espionage and ordered him to be held until May 29 pending an investigation, Russian media reported, adding that Gershkovich pleaded not guilty.
In a statement, the agency alleged that Gershkovich, “acting on an assignment from the American side, was gathering information classified as a state secret about the activity of one of the enterprises of Russia’s military-industrial complex.” The Urals mountain region is home to various Russian military factories.
The Wall Street Journal said in a statement it “vehemently denies the allegations from the FSB and seeks the immediate release of our trusted and dedicated reporter.”
Blinken condemns the Kremlin’s punishment of journalists
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the U.S. government is “deeply concerned” about the detention. “In the strongest possible terms, we condemn the Kremlin’s continued attempts to intimidate, repress, and punish journalists and civil society voices,” Blinken said in a statement.
Russia has introduced a slew of new restrictive laws surrounding media and information amid the war in Ukraine. At least 19 journalists were in Russian prison as of December, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.
The Journal is one of a small handful of Western media outlets that continue to report in Moscow despite the restrictive environment.
The Kremlin said it was aware of the arrest but called it “the prerogative” of the FSB.
“The only thing I can say is that, as far as we’re aware, they caught him red-handed,” Kremlin spokesmen Dmitry Peskov said in a call with reporters.
Peskov also noted that The Wall Street Journal could continue its work in Russia.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry — which issues visas and accreditation to foreign journalists — expressed support for Gershkovich’s arrest.
“Unfortunately, it’s not the first time the status of ‘foreign correspondent’, a journalist visa, and accreditation have been used by foreigners in our country to cover for activities that have nothing to do with journalism,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.
Russia’s Kommersant daily newspaper said Gershkovich would soon be transported to Moscow’s Lefortovo prison, the FSB’s pre-trial detention facility. Espionage charges in Russia can carry a prison sentence of up to 20 years.
Gershkovich has covered Russia since 2017, working with The Moscow Times and the Agence France-Presse before joining The Wall Street Journal’s Moscow bureau. The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists also called for Russian authorities to immediately release and drop charges against Gershkovich.
Russia has “sent a clear message to foreign correspondents that they will not be spared from the ongoing purge of the independent media in the country,” Gulnoza Said, CPJ’s Europe and Central Asia program coordinator, said in a statement.
The U.S. warns its citizens to leave Russia
Secretary of State Blinken reiterated the government’s “strong warnings about the danger posed to U.S. citizens” inside Russia and said those in the country should leave immediately.
Several Americans are currently detained in Russian prisons on charges ranging from drug smuggling to espionage.
In December, Russia and the U.S. engaged in a prisoner swap — trading American basketball star Brittney Griner, who had been sentenced to nine years in jail for carrying a small amount of hash oil, for a convicted Russian arms dealer.