Russia Arrests Wall Street Journal Reporter Evan Gershkovich For Alleged Espionage, Newspaper 'Vehemently Denies' Accusations
Russia has arrested a reporter for the Wall Street Journal over allegations of espionage, RadarOnline.com has learned, although the newspaper has denied the accusations.
The shocking arrest took place Thursday morning when Russia’s FSB security service announced they detained Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich on suspicions he was spying for Washington.
According to Russia’s Federal Security Service, Gershkovich is accused of gathering information “classified as a state secret” about a Russian military factory.
Although the Russian authorities did not name the factory or say where the factory was, nor provide any evidence that Gershkovich was attempting to procure secret information, the FSB did confirm the reporter is currently being detained in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg.
“It has been established that E. Gershkovich, acting on an assignment from the American side, was gathering information classified as a state secret about the activity of one of the enterprises of Russia’s military-industrial complex,” the FSB said in a statement released Thursday morning, according to the Guardian.
The Wall Street Journal has since “vehemently denied” the allegations against their reporter and demanded the “immediate release” of Gershkovich from Russian custody.
“The Wall Street Journal vehemently denies the allegations from the FSB and seeks the immediate release of our trusted and dedicated reporter, Evan Gershkovich,” the newspaper said in a statement.
“We stand in solidarity with Evan and his family,” they added.
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Additional foreign journalists have since spoken out in support of Gershkovich and emphasized that he is a professional journalist and not a spy.
Andrei Soldatov, a writer and expert in Russia’s various security agencies, took to social media to suggest Gershkovich’s sudden arrest is an “attack” on journalists and proof that the FSB is “off the leash.”
“Evan Gershkovich is a very good and brave journalist, not a spy, for Christ’s sake,” Soldatov said in a post on Thursday. “[His detention] is a frontal attack on all foreign correspondents who still work in Russia.”
“And it means that the FSB is off the leash,” Soldatov added.
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As RadarOnline.com previously reported, Gershkovich’s sudden arrest this week marks the latest and most serious move by Russia against a foreign national since Vladimir Putin first launched his invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Gershkovich’s arrest comes just weeks after WNBA star Brittney Griner, who was arrested on drug charges in Moscow on February 17, 2022, was released from Russian custody and returned to the United States in December 2022.