- The Russian secret service announced on Thursday the arrest of American journalist Evan Gershkovich at the Wall Street Journal. The authorities accuse him of espionage.
- A Russian court on Thursday ordered the journalist’s detention until May 29 pending a possible trial. He faces up to 20 years in prison.
- While the Russian press and journalists critical of the Kremlin are often prosecuted, foreign journalists have often been spared since the war began in Ukraine.
A Russian court remanded a US journalist from the Wall Street Journal on Thursday. Evan Gershkovich, 31, is accused of spying for the US. In a statement, his newspaper said it was “deeply concerned” by the situation. The NGO Reporters Without Borders said it was “concerned” by “what appears to be retaliation,” while France said it was “concerned” and called on Moscow to respect press freedom.
20 Minutes returns to this affair amid tensions between the United States and Russia over the conflict in Ukraine, while Washington accuses Moscow of detaining several of its citizens on political grounds.
Why was the journalist arrested and imprisoned?
The arrest of Evan Gershkovich, of Russian origin, was announced by the Russian Secret Service (FSB) on Thursday. The Kremlin claimed it was caught ‘blatantly’ spying, without substantiating the allegations.
According to the Russian state news agency Tass, the case has been classified as “secret,” which severely limits the release of information about it. The only details available at this time: The FSB announced that it had “frustrated an illegal activity” by arresting Evan Gershkovich in Yekaterinburg in the Urals on an unspecified date. The American is suspected of having collected information “about a Russian military-industrial complex”. On Thursday, a Moscow court took the 30-year-old into custody until May 29. This detention can be extended pending a possible trial. At the hearing, the journalist, who was not assisted by his lawyer, Daniil Berman, denied the charges against him.
Even though the Russian press and journalists critical of the Kremlin are often prosecuted, foreign journalists have so far been spared because Moscow preferred to expel correspondents and tighten accreditation rules. Foreign reporters are also sometimes followed by the security services while reporting, especially outside of Moscow.
What is he at risk for?
According to Article 276 of the Russian Criminal Code, the journalist could theoretically face up to 20 years in prison. Since the start of the conflict in Ukraine, Russia has enacted several laws providing for heavy prison sentences for anyone criticizing or equating journalistic research into certain sensitive topics to espionage.
“The new Russian legislation (…) makes it possible to imprison for 20 years anyone interested in military affairs, the special military operation (in Ukraine), private military groups, the army state,” notes independent Russian analyst Tatiana Stanovaïa, who directs the analysis center R.Politik.
Several Americans are already incarcerated in Russia, one of whom, Paul Whelan, is serving a 16-year sentence for “espionage” in a case the individual and Washington believe was fabricated.
Is a prisoner exchange possible?
When asked about a possible future exchange with Washington, Russian diplomacy felt the issue was premature and urged, through its Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Riabkov, to “see how this story unfolds.” In fact, several Russian-American exchanges have taken place in recent years.
The most recent exchange of blows between Moscow and Washington took place in December, when Russia extradited American basketball player Brittney Griner, who had been arrested for drug trafficking, in exchange for the release of US-imprisoned arms dealer Viktor Bout. The Olympic champion was arrested in Russia in February 2022 and spent ten months in Kremlin prisons.