The Russian secret service arrests American journalists for alleged espionage

According to state media, the Russian secret service FSB has arrested a correspondent of the renowned American newspaper “Wall Street Journal”. A Moscow court has now issued an arrest warrant for alleged espionage. The court announced on Thursday that the detention would initially last until May 29. The journalist faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted. And the criminal justice system in Russia is considered politically controlled, with most charges ending in a guilty verdict.

Media had previously reported that the reporter had disappeared.

Reporter Evan Gershkovich, born in 1991, is suspected of “espionage in the interest of the US government,” the FSB secret service said Thursday, state agency TASS said. He was arrested in Yekaterinburg in the Urals for allegedly espionage against a military-technical complex. The Sverdlovsk region around Yekaterinburg is considered one of the strongholds of the Russian arms industry.

Americans are repeatedly suspected of espionage in Russia. However, Gershkovich will be the first journalist to be arrested, despite being officially accredited to the Russian Foreign Ministry. The Russian opposition spoke of a “hostage situation”. The team of captured Kremlin opponent Alexei Navalny said:

The Kremlin believes the espionage allegations against American journalists have been proven

According to the Kremlin, the espionage charges against Gershkovich have been proven. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on state radio on Thursday:

He now hopes that there will be no repression of Russian journalists in the United States, Peskov said when asked. “In any case, it shouldn’t be, because the case is not about suspicion, but about the fact that he was caught red-handed,” the Kremlin spokesman said.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova had previously confirmed the allegation of espionage by the FSB against Gershkovich. Zakharova said that what Gershkovich did in Yekaterinburg had nothing to do with journalism. On Telegram, she further claimed:

The Wall Street Journal backs the reporter

The Wall Street Journal has since denied all allegations against its reporter and called for his release. “We stand in solidarity with Evan and his family,” the newspaper said. The human rights organization Reporters Without Borders called the arrest “worrying”. “Journalists should not be targeted,” the organization demanded. In 2022, as part of the war of aggression against Ukraine, Russian leaders have again significantly restricted freedom of speech and the press in the country.

In the aftermath of the war in Ukraine, Russia has recently tightened its stance against Western journalists. There are also threats of prosecution for discrimination or damage to the reputation of the Russian army. Some correspondents and media stopped working temporarily after the outbreak of war last year for fear of repression. The number of Western journalists has declined as many media outlets fail to receive accreditation for their reporters.

The Russian opposition spoke of a “hostage situation”. “Putin is ready to use any method to put pressure on the West,” the team of imprisoned Kremlin opponent Alexei Navalny said. Kremlin boss Vladimir Putin had in the past repeatedly released Russian criminals imprisoned in the United States through exchanges with Americans convicted in Moscow.

(yam/sda/dpa)