US Secretary of State Blinken urges Russia to release WSJ journalist Evan Gershkovich

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a phone conversation with Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov has called to immediately free WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich, the State Department said in a statement.

The Russian Foreign Ministry, in turn, said that the US should “respect decisions of Russian authorities” and noted that “Gershkovich was caught red-handed when trying to obtain classified information”.

Moreover, the US called on the Kremlin to release Paul Whelan, a US citizen who was arrested in Russia in 2018 on charges of spying. The Russian agency did not comment on this statement.

The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) detained the WSJ journalist on 29 March in Yekaterinburg. According to media reports, he spent several weeks in the city and was particularly interested in attitudes of Russians towards the mercenary Wagner Group. While in Yekaterinburg, Gershkovich interviewed local resident Yaroslav Shirshkov who also accompanied him in the city and introduced to other people for the story he was working on.

Gershkovich started working for the Wall Street Journal in January 2022. He was born in the US to a Jewish family that emigrated from the Soviet Union. Evan has actively worked in Russia and has lived in London lately. He previously worked for AFP, the Moscow Times, and the New York Times. The journalist had a Russian visa and an accreditation from the Russian Foreign Ministry.

On 30 March, he was taken to Moscow; the Lefortovo court arrested him for two months. His lawyer Daniil Berman was not allowed to attend the hearing.

“He was ordered by the US to collect information about a Russian defence industry facility which is classified as a state secret,” the FSB told RIA Novosti.

The Wall Street Journal has categorically denied the FSB accusations and demands that Gershkovich be immediately released. Bloomberg, NYT, the Washington Post, Politico, and the Committee to Protect Journalists demanded that Russia free the reporter. US President Joe Biden also urged to release him.