Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich arrested in Russia

Gershkovich has lived in Moscow for the past six years as a reporter for the Wall Street Journal focusing on Russia, Ukraine and the former Soviet Union. He is accredited as a journalist by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Wall Street Journal writes. His last articlepublished on Tuesday, spoke of a possible impending downturn in the Russian economy.

Gershkovich’s arrest comes as the Kremlin cracks down on dissent and criticism over its ongoing war in Ukraine, which the international community has condemned. Russian police in September 2022 arrested 1,300 people at anti-war protests after President Vladimir Putin announced that citizens would be conscripted to fight against Ukraine. Recently, the father was Russian convicted to two years in prison after his 13-year-old daughter made pro-Ukrainian art with the slogan “Glory to Ukraine”.

Russia is also cracking down on the media. After Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Putin signed a law making it a crime report “fake” news about the war with Ukraine – including just calling it a war – leading to many international organizations suspension reporting from the country.

The outlets that remained did so below censorshipwith limited language and punishment for contradicting the government. According to Reporters Without Borders, journalists were also targeted while reporting from Ukraine, and eight were killed in the first six months of the war.

Russian authorities have made high-profile arrests of American citizens before, often on inflated or false grounds. On February 17, 2022, shortly before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russian authorities arrested WNBA player Brittney Griner after vape cartridges containing a small amount of hashish oil found in her luggage. Griner later pleaded guilty to drug charges and was convicted for nine years in a Russian penal colony. The case was widely seen as a a political move to exert pressure on United Stateswho promised help to Ukraine. Griner was later released in a prisoner exchange with Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.

Gershkovich is the first journalist in more than 30 years to be arrested in Russia on espionage charges. In 1986, he was Nicholas Daniloff, a reporter for US News & World Report arrested by the KGB while he was a Moscow correspondent and was released 20 days later in a prisoner exchange for a Russian government official arrested by the FBI.