According to the Russian state news agency Tass, citing police circles, the case was classified as “top secret”. The journalist therefore rejected the allegations made against him.
The correspondent of the Moscow office of the Wall Street Journal, who is accredited to the Russian Foreign Ministry, is suspected of “espionage in the interests of the American government,” the FSB said. The 31-year-old is suspected of having collected information “about a company belonging to the military-industrial complex” in Russia. According to the Russian Criminal Code, if charged, you can face 10 to 20 years in prison.
According to the FSB, Gershkovich was detained in Yekaterinburg “when trying to obtain classified information.” The city is 1800 kilometers east of Moscow.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Gershkovich was caught in the act. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also emphasized that it was not just a matter of suspicion, that the US reporter was “caught”. Peskow did not provide any specific information.
The Wall Street Journal “vehemently” denied the allegations against its reporter and said it was “deeply concerned for Mr. Gershkovich’s safety.” Reporters Without Borders said it was “concerned by what looks like retaliation.” According to the organization, the 31-year-old was doing research “on the Wagner military company,” a Russian mercenary force that plays a key role in Russia’s offensive in Ukraine.
Before Gershkovich joined the Wall Street Journal last year, he was a correspondent for the AFP news agency in Moscow. He previously worked for the Moscow Times, an English-language news portal. Gershkovich is Russian by birth, his family immigrated to the United States when he was a child.
The arrest of the 31-year-old represents an escalation in the Kremlin’s efforts to silence perceived critics. Western journalists face increasing restrictions in Russia.
“The problem is the fact that the way the FSB interprets espionage today means that anyone who is simply interested in military affairs can be imprisoned for 20 years,” Russian political scientist Tatyana Stanovaya told the online service Facebook. This also applies to “special military operations (in Ukraine)” and “private military groups (like Wagner)”.
According to Stanovaya, the FSB may have taken Gershkovich as a “hostage” for a possible prisoner exchange. Several US citizens are currently being held in Russia. Washington and Moscow have in the past accused each other of making politically motivated arrests. In 2020, former US soldier Paul Whelan was sentenced to 16 years in prison in Russia on charges of “espionage”. The US is demanding his release.
The most recent exchange of prisoners between Washington and Moscow took place last December. At that time, Russia released US basketball player Brittney Griner in exchange for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.
In the Gershkovich case, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov called discussion of a possible prisoner swap premature. “I would not raise such a question now,” Ryabkov said, according to Russian news agencies. Prisoner exchanges in the past would have affected people who had already been convicted. You have to wait and see “how this story develops”.
