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Russia has arrested Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich on espionage charges. Photo/Al Jazeera
MOSCOW – The authority Russia has detained a reporter United States of America (USA) to the Wall Street Journal on espionage charges. This was announced by the Russian security agency.
The Federal Security Service (FSB), the KGB’s successor agency, said that Evan Gershkovich was detained in the city of Yekaterinburg in the Ural Mountains while allegedly trying to obtain classified information.
Gershkovich was accused of collecting classified information about the activities of one of the companies in the Russian military-industrial complex which is a state secret.
For your information, Gershkovich covered the war in Ukraine, developments in Russia, and the Wagner mercenary group.
The FSB did not say when the arrests were made. Gershkovich could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted of espionage.
“The Wall Street Journal vehemently denies the allegations from the FSB, and requests the immediate release of our trusted and impartial reporter, Evan Gershkovich,” the newspaper said in a statement.
He is the first reporter for an American news outlet to be detained on spying charges in Russia since the Cold War. His arrest also comes amid bitter global tensions over the fighting in Ukraine.
Gershkovich, who is a well-accredited journalist, works out of the Wall Street Journal’s Moscow bureau.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Telegram that Gershkovich’s alleged activities were not related to journalism.
