Evan Gershkovich, a Moscow-based reporter for The Wall Street Journal, has been detained by Russia’s Federal Security Service. He is accused of espionage against the country.
According to a report from The New York Times, Russia’s FSB claims Gershkovich — a U.S. citizen — was acting “on the instructions of the United States, he was collecting information about one of the enterprises of the Russian military-industrial complex, which constitute a state secret.”
The Russian security agency arrested Gershkovich in the city of Yekaterinburg on Wednesday.
In a statement, The Wall Street Journal defended its reporter.
“The Wall Street Journal vehemently denies the allegations from the FSB and seeks the immediate release of our trusted and dedicated reporter, Evan Gershkovich. We stand in solidarity with Evan and his family.”
Gershkovich is a reporter covering Russia, Ukraine, and other former Soviet Union states. Earlier this week, he co-authored a story with reporter Georgi Kantchev titled “Russia’s Economy is Starting to Come Undone”. The report showcased issues the Russian economy has faced against that of other nations. The ruble is down 20% against the US dollar since November alone, according to the report.
“The illegal activities of the correspondent of the Moscow bureau of the American newspaper The Wall Street Journal, US citizen Evan Gershkovich…suspected of espionage in the interests of the American government, have been suppressed,” a release from the Russian FSB states.
According to CNN, Russian President Vladimir Putin made it a crime last year to report “fake” information about the Russian army and it’s invasion of Ukraine. In response, several news organizations withdrew their reporters from the country.
