Russia announced this Thursday, March 30, the arrest of L “espionage” The American journalist from the Wall Street Journal, Ivan Gershkovich, described an unprecedented case in the country’s recent history in the context of repression since the attack on Ukraine.
“The FSB thwarted the illegal activity of the accredited correspondent (…) of the Moscow bureau of the American newspaper The Wall Street Journal, American citizen Ivan Gershkovich”The Russian Federal Security Service said in a statement carried by Russian agencies.
sequel after announcement
he “Suspected of spying for the United States.” and information gathering “In the project of a military industrial complex” Russian. An offense punishable by 10 to 20 years in prison, according to Article 276 of the Russian Penal Code.
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The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday ‘Very concerned about safety’ Journalist who was arrested in Russia because of “espionage”in the context of tensions between Moscow and Washington over the conflict in Ukraine.
“The Wall Street Journal is very concerned about security” The newspaper said in a brief statement.
Stricter laws against espionage
Before joining the American daily in 2022, Ivan Gershkovich worked as a correspondent for AFP in Moscow, and before that he worked for the English-language newspaper “Moscow Times”. The 31-year-old journalist, completely Russian-speaking, is of Russian descent and his parents are based in the United States.
sequel after announcement
Independent Russian analyst Tatyana Stanovaya, who heads the R-Politik political analysis center, noted that Russia has recently tightened its anti-espionage laws since its attack on Ukraine.
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“The problem is that the new Russian legislation (…) allows anyone interested in military affairs, special military operations (in Ukraine), or private military groups (such as Wagner) to be imprisoned for 20 years, in the case of the army.”she wrote on Facebook.
Possibility of prisoner exchange
But the analyst also notes that the FSB was able to take the journalist away ” held hostage “ for a possible exchange of prisoners.
Russian-American exchanges have occurred several times in recent years.
sequel after announcement
Several US citizens are still being held in Russia, among them, Paul Whelan, is serving a 16-year sentence for “espionage” In a case that the concerned party and Washington consider fabricated. He was arrested in 2018 and negotiations have been underway for several years for his release. According to his family, the 53-year-old former soldier suffers from health problems in his prison in the Russian region of Mordovia.
The last exchange between Moscow and Washington took place in December, when Russia handed over American basketball player Brittney Grenier, who is being held on drug trafficking charges, in exchange for the release of arms trafficker Viktor Bout, imprisoned in the United States.
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Another American currently being held in Russia, Mark Fogel, is a former diplomat who worked as a teacher at an American school in Moscow. He was sentenced in June 2022 to fourteen years in prison for smuggling cannabis ” Widely “. Russian authorities claimed to have found marijuana and cannabis oil in his luggage during a customs check upon his arrival at Sheremetyevo Airport in Moscow.
suppression of independent media
If the Russian press and journalists critical of the Kremlin were often the target of criminal proceedings in Russia, foreign journalists were shunned, as Moscow preferred to expel reporters and tighten accreditation rules.
sequel after announcement
Since the start of the Russian attack on Ukraine, the Russian authorities have, however, accelerated their crackdown on opposition and independent media, generally using criminal law provisions that punish the act of Discrediting the army.
At the same time, for foreign journalists, the conditions for issuing credits on which visas depend have been tightened.
Foreign correspondents are also sometimes followed by the security services during their reporting, especially outside Moscow.
In this context, many Western media outlets have significantly reduced their presence in Russia since the entry of Russian forces into Ukraine in February 2022.
sequel after announcement
A Russian diplomat said Thursday that the American journalist from the “Wall Street Journal” newspaper was arrested in Russia on charges of committing the crime. “espionage” was taken hand in bag.
What the contributor to the American magazine The Wall Street Journal was doing in Yekaterinburg had nothing to do with journalism.Russian diplomatic spokeswoman Maria Zakharova estimated on Telegram, adding that the reporter was not “Not the first famous Westerner to be caught red-handed”.
The Wall Street Journal “strongly refuted” Accusations of espionage against the journalist who works with him in Russia
