Russia announced on Thursday the arrest of the American journalist for “espionage”. Evan Gershkovicby the Wall Street Journal, in a context of repression since the beginning of the offensive against Ukraine.
For independent Russian political analyst Tatiana Stanovaya, the FBS (the former KGB) could have taken the journalist “as a hostage” in view of a prisoner exchange.
His detention supposes a serious escalation in the Kremlin’s efforts to censor those you consider criticala crackdown that gained momentum after the start of the Russian military operation in Ukraine last year.
The arrest also comes as several Western countries are uncovering and arresting Russian spies, including a couple posing as Argentines in Slovenia.
The Kremlin assured, without giving details, that Evan Gershkovich was “caught red-handed” and warned Washington not to retaliate against Russian media in the United States.
Russia’s Federal Security Service indicated that it “foiled the illegal activities of US citizen Evan Gershkovich (…) Correspondent of the Moscow office of the US newspaper The Wall Street Journal”, which he accuses of “spying for the US government”.
The Wall Street Journal, who said it was “deeply concerned about safety” of Gershkovich, denied the allegations against his reporter and asked for his own “immediate release”.
“A Retaliatory Measure”
The NGO Reporters Sans Frontières declared itself “alarmed” by “what it seems a retaliatory measure“Journalists must not be targeted!” he urged.
The crime of espionage is punishable in Russia with sanctions from 10 to 20 years in prisonpursuant to article 276 of the penal code.
Russian authorities confirmed that 31-year-old Evan Gershkovich was working under a press accreditation issued by the Russian Foreign Ministry.
They added that he was arrested for gather information “about a company in the Russian military-industrial complex”.
Arrested in Yekaterinburg
“The stranger has been detained Yekaterinburg when he was trying to obtain classified information,” the FSB explained, referring to that central Russian city located 1,800 kilometers east of Moscow.
“The problem is that the new Russian legislation (…) allows anyone to be imprisoned for 20 years just be interested in military affairs“, independent Russian political analyst Tatiana Stanovaya said on social networks in reaction to the reporter’s arrest.
Prior to joining The Wall Street Journal in 2022, Gershkovich, who speaks perfect Russian, worked for AFP in Moscow and previously for The Moscow Times, an English-language news website.
His family emigrated from Russia to the United States. When I was a child.
The arrest of a foreign journalist for spying is unprecedented in recent Russian history.
Various US citizens I am currently in prison in Russia and both Washington and Moscow have accused each other of making arrests for political reasons.
Among them is Paul Whelana 53-year-old former Marine arrested in 2018, who is serving a 16-year prison sentence for espionage.
There have been several high-level prisoner exchanges between the two countries over the past year.
In December, Moscow released American basketball star Brittney Griner, who was detained for smuggling cannabis oil into the country, in exchange for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.
The Russian press and journalists critical of the Kremlin are often subject to prosecution in Russia, something foreign journalists have generally been spared as Moscow has opted instead to deport them or tighten accreditation rules.
However, since the launch of the Russian offensive in Ukraine, the Russian authorities have stepped up their crackdown on the opposition and independent media.
At the same time, for foreign journalists the conditions for issuing accreditations have been tightenedon which visas depend.
Even foreign journalists sometimes they are followed by the security services during his reporting, especially outside Moscow.
Against this background, many Western media they significantly reduced their attendance in Russia since the entry of Russian forces into Ukraine in February 2022.
AFP extension
ap
Source: Clarin
Mary Ortiz is a seasoned journalist with a passion for world events. As a writer for News Rebeat, she brings a fresh perspective to the latest global happenings and provides in-depth coverage that offers a deeper understanding of the world around us.