The Wall Street Journal forcefully defended its reporter after he was arrested in Russia on allegations of espionage.

The Russian government's Federal Security Service said it had detained U.S. citizen and WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovitch in the city of Yekaterinburg and accused him of spying on behalf of the U.S. government.

Gershkovich is "suspected of spying in the interests of the US government," the FSB said in a statement reported by state news agency RIA Novosti. The FSB added his "illegal activities" "have been suppressed."

Poor guy another pawn (hostage)in Putin’s criminal war of conquest  he’s in a very very difficult spot my heart goes out to him and his family 

another pawn ...

... or he was spying.

On Al Jazeera it was mentioned that he might have been investigating the Wagner group, which, if true, in the present situation would have been a bit risky.

I feel sorry for this guy. No more 'Merchant of Death' to trade for him.

1 hour ago, thaibeachlovers said:

On Al Jazeera it was mentioned that he might have been investigating the Wagner group, which, if true, in the present situation would have been a bit risky.

I was just reading in a CNN article:
The FSB said Gershkovich was detained in Yekaterinburg, on the eastern side of the Ural Mountains, and claimed he was “trying to obtain secret information” relating to “the activities of one of the enterprises of the Russian military-industrial complex.”

 

Plenty of likely very sensitive military industrial installations in the area
https://nuke.fas.org/guide/russia/industry/docs/rus95/y_list.htm

 

For the moment I'm going with he was at least nosing around in a place he should not have been. Call him an overzealous reporter or a spy, your choice.

 

Edited March 31, 20233 yr by expat_4_life

One would think even if you were asking for directions in Russia and being a westerner that would be spying. Now lets see what president Biden does to get him back home.

1 hour ago, IAMHERE said:

I feel sorry for this guy. No more 'Merchant of Death' to trade for him.

 

17 minutes ago, vandeventer said:

One would think even if you were asking for directions in Russia and being a westerner that would be spying. Now lets see what president Biden does to get him back home.

Perhaps they can trade him for Sergey Vladimirovich Cherkasov who was indicted in the US just this last week.
https://news.yahoo.com/us-charges-russian-spy-whose-194404404.html

Edited March 31, 20233 yr by expat_4_life

53 minutes ago, expat_4_life said:

I was just reading in a CNN article:
The FSB said Gershkovich was detained in Yekaterinburg, on the eastern side of the Ural Mountains, and claimed he was “trying to obtain secret information” relating to “the activities of one of the enterprises of the Russian military-industrial complex.”

 

Plenty of likely very sensitive military industrial installations in the area
https://nuke.fas.org/guide/russia/industry/docs/rus95/y_list.htm

 

For the moment I'm going with he was at least nosing around in a place he should not have been. Call him an overzealous reporter or a spy, your choice.

 

The FSB said..........................

In Russia being a legitimate journalist is illegal. North Korea redux. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

21 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

In Russia being a legitimate journalist is illegal. North Korea redux. 

 

Sure thing, "illegal to be a legitimate journalist in Russia".  You realize he's been a journalist working and living in Russia for 6 years? How did he manage to evade the Russian authorities for so long, with all that illegal journalistic activity he's been engaged in?

Most of the time he was there there was no genocidal war against Ukraine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Off topic speculation removed

Credible reporting makes any journalist in Russia vulnerable to arrest, including of course Russians.

 

It's a line they've crossed arresting this American.

 

The Real Reason Russia Charged a WSJ Reporter With Espionage | Time