Topline
Russia’s Federal Security Service officially charged Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich with spying, multiple outlets reported Friday, despite a round of bipartisan calls from U.S. lawmakers for Russia to release him, as relations continue to worsen between Washington and Moscow.
Russia’s Federal Security Service charged Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich with spying … [+]
Key Facts
Gershkovich, who was detained last week in Yekaterinburg, Russia, on suspicion of spying on behalf of the U.S. government, entered a denial Friday, Russian state news agency Tass and the Interfax reported.
Russia’s Federal Security Service claims Gershkovich, a Moscow correspondent for the Journal, was “gathering information about a Russian defense plant” and that his detainment came while he was “trying to obtain secret information.”
Gershkovich, 31, faces up to 20 years in Russian prison (his attorneys have appealed his arrest).
Lawmakers, including President Joe Biden, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), have condemned his detainment, while the Journal issued a statement last week saying it “vehemently denies the allegations.”
Contra
Schumer and McConnell demanded Gershkovich’s release in a rare joint statement Friday, claiming Russian authorities have not presented credible evidence “to justify their fabricated charges,” arguing his detention fits a “long and disturbing history” by Russian authorities, and that Russia’s judicial system “provides neither transparency nor justice.” The two Senators also called on Moscow to release Paul Whelan—a former marine who was also arrested on suspicion of espionage in 2018.
Tangent
Whelan’s name resurfaced during prison swap discussions between Moscow and Washington last year as U.S. officials pleaded with Russia to release WNBA star Brittney Griner, who the Biden Administration said was wrongly detained over marijuana possession charges. Russian officials released Griner in December, four months after she was sentenced by a Russian court to nine years in prison, in exchange for notorious Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, nicknamed the “merchant of war.”
Further Reading
Russia Arrests American Journalist On Suspicion Of Spying For U.S. Government (Forbes)
Lawyers Appeal Arrest Of American Journalist Detained In Russia (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/brianbushard/2023/04/07/russia-charges-wall-street-journal-reporter-evan-gershkovich-with-spying/