Why did Russia arrest American reporter Ivan Gershovich on espionage charges?

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Russia has Arrested Wall Street Journal reporter accused of espionage. It is an escalatory step that shows the extent of the breakdown of the relationship between the United States and Russia, and the dangers of publishing independent journalism in the country.

Ivan Gershkovich is a 31-year-old American citizen accredited as a journalist by the Russian Foreign Ministry. He was working in the industrial city of Yekaterinburg, 900 miles east of Moscow, and was arrested by the Federal Security Service (FSB), who saidwithout evidence, that he “acted on the instructions of the American side,” and “collected information constituting a state secret about the activities of one of the enterprises of the Russian military-industrial complex.”

The magazine “strongly denies the allegations of the FSB,” said in a statement statementand stands in solidarity with Evan and his family.

The more the confrontation between the United States and Russia continues about Ukraine invasion It reflects the confrontation of the Cold War, the more likely it is that reporters who cover real security aspects will be exposed to this kind of hostage situation. Gershkovich It said The first American journalist arrested in Russia for espionage in the post-Cold War era.

The timing is also notable given the past week in the United States Accused Suspected Russian spy Sergei Cherkasov, who the Justice Department says used to work for Victor Ferrera, for his activities in Washington. says Danielle Gilbert, a security researcher at Dartmouth College who researches hostage diplomacy.

Right now, American diplomats in Russia are almost certainly working to meet Gershkovich in person. The United States has been working for years to secure the release of Paul Whelan, an American security consultant who was arrested in 2018 in Russia on espionage charges.

There are also likely back-end efforts underway to resolve this issue as quickly as possible. As Gilbert said, “There’s always a quiet period of behind-the-scenes talks and negotiations in the hope that it’s a mistake, or that there can be a decision that doesn’t require a lot of attention or drawn-out negotiation, maybe something that can simply be worked out.”

Journalists under threat in Russia

Gershkovitch’s arrest is not without precedent. Russia has only had a limited media system that has been increasingly restricted since the invasion of Ukraine. But what’s new in This century Is that a foreign correspondent was targeted.

It is true that Russian authorities frequently harass and monitor international journalists in the country. But they were generally a fairly protected class, compared to the Russian journalists they encountered mortal danger. The assumption was that the presence of some foreign journalists in Russia was necessary if Russia wanted accreditation for its correspondents in the United States and Europe. Now, amid Russia’s assault on Ukraine, the rules are changing, and this seems like a major departure for duly approved reporters.

The threat is not limited to journalists only. Last year, Russia WNBA star Brittney Griner has been arrested on a petty drug chargeThen she was sentenced to nine years in a penal colony.

in December Prisoner exchange In the United Arab Emirates, the United States brings Greiner home by trading her for a Russian arms dealer Victor Botwhich has been in US custody for more than a decade.

Gershkovitch’s arrest on espionage charges, Gilbert says, has many of the hallmarks of wrongful arrest, a classification emerging from Law 2020 To support the hostages taken abroad. But the State Department designating a reporter as such may take some time; Greiner, who was arrested in February 2022, was only considered unjustly held last May.

“Having this designation indicates that the United States government believes the detention is unfair or arbitrary, or that Americans are treated unfairly, or that they are arrested because they are Americans, or because a foreign government intends to use them for their purposes,” Gilbert told me. If a person gets this designation, it means the US government will be involved in trying to bring him home.”

For Russian journalists, the environment was increasingly dangerous. Many independent outlets have been closed down or forced to operate out of the country. Last spring the Russian government Issuance A law that allows anyone who spreads “false information” about the Ukraine war to be imprisoned for up to 15 years. In fact, Gershkovitch wrote an in-depth feature for Wall Street Journal About this alarming phenomenon last summer. He noted that many reporters were labeled “foreign agents”, about 200 websites were blocked, and prison sentences became more likely.

Nineteen journalists are in detention in Russia and 58 journalists were killed There last year alone, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. “By detaining American journalist Ivan Gershkovitch, Russia has crossed the Rubicon River and sent a clear message to foreign correspondents that they will not be spared from the ongoing purge of independent media in the country.” He says Galnoza Saeed from the control group.

When prominent Russian opposition politician Ilya Yashin was arrested in July 2022, Gershkovitch filed Crucial coverage in the journal. At that time, it is chirpReporting on Russia now is also a regular practice of watching people you know locked away for years.



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