Russia Security Agency Arrests Wall Street Journal Reporter

Evan Gershkovich is being held on espionage charges
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 30, 2023 4:41 AM CDT
Updated Mar 30, 2023 6:51 AM CDT
Russia Arrests US Reporter on Espionage Charges
The building of the Federal Security Service (FSB) in Lubyanskaya Square in Moscow, Russia.   (AP Photo, File)

Russia says it has arrested an American reporter on espionage charges for allegedly trying to obtain classified information. The FSB security agency, the main successor to the KGB, said Wall Street Journal correspondent Evan Gershkovich was "collecting information about one of the enterprises of the Russian military-industrial complex, which constitute a state secret," the New York Times reports. The FSB said Gershkovich was acting "on the instructions of the United States." This is the first time since the end of the Cold War that a reporter for an American outlet has been arrested on espionage charges in Russia, reports the AP.

Russian authorities said Gershkovich, who is based in Moscow, was arrested in the Ural Mountains city of Yekaterinburg, more than 800 miles from the capital. In a statement, the Wall Street Journal said it "is deeply concerned for the safety of Mr. Gershkovich." The FSB said Gershkovich is accredited to work as a journalist in Russia. The Times reports that Gershkovich, a former Times employee in New York, has worked for the Journal in Moscow since January last year. His most recent report, published Tuesday, looked at Russia's slowing economy and increasing reliance on China. (More Russia stories.)

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