The Russian Foreign Ministry confirmed, on Thursday, that the reporter of the “Wall Street Journal” Ivan Gershkovich, who was arrested by Russia on charges of “espionage”, was arrested “red-handed”.
“What the collaborator of the American Wall Street Journal was doing in Yekaterinburg has nothing to do with journalism,” Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, said on Telegram, adding that the reporter “is not the first known Westerner to be caught red-handed.”
The security service stated that Gershkovich “was executing American orders to collect information regarding the activities of a company affiliated with the Russian military-industrial complex, which is state secrets.”
The security service did not mention the timing of the arrest, and Gershkovich faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted of espionage.
His latest report from Moscow, published earlier in the week, focused on the slowdown in the Russian economy due to Western sanctions imposed following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Who is he Ivan Gershkovitch?
- Before starting his job at the American daily in 2022, Gershkovitch was a correspondent for AFP in Moscow, and before that a journalist for the English-language newspaper The Moscow Times.
- The journalist of Russian origin is fluent in the Russian language, and he is 31 years old, and his parents reside in the United States.
- Gershkovitch is the first reporter for a US media outlet to be arrested on charges of espionage in Russia since the Cold War.
- The Federal Security Service, the top domestic security and counterintelligence agency, said Gershkovich was arrested in Yekaterinburg, in the Urals, on allegations that he was seeking classified information.
Gershkovich’s arrest comes amid escalating tensions between Moscow and Washington over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The Wall Street Journal
For its part, The Wall Street Journal expressed its “extreme concern” regarding the arrest of its reporter, Ivan Gershkovitch, following the Russian security services announced his arrest on charges of espionage.
“The Wall Street Journal is deeply concerned regarding the well-being of Mr. Gershkovitch,” the newspaper said in a statement.
