Secretary of State Antony Blinken talked to his Russian counterpart Sunday and called for the “immediate release” of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was arrested last week by Russian authorities and dubiously accused of spying on Russia.
“Secretary Blinken conveyed the United States’ grave concern over Russia’s unacceptable detention of a U.S. citizen journalist,” deputy State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel said in a statement.
Mr. Lavrov told Mr. Blinken that Mr. Gershkovich’s fate would be determined by a court and reiterated Russia’s assertion, for which it has not publicly stated any evidence, that the journalist was caught “red-handed” last week, the Russian Foreign Ministry statement said, according to Reuters. The Wall Street Journal vehemently denied the charges against Mr. Gershkovich, a veteran journalist who speaks fluent Russian. He was taken into custody by Russia’s Federal Security Service, or FSB, in the city of Yekaterinburg.
Analysts say Mr. Putin believes he can use Americans to secure the release of Russian prisoners — a strategy employed last year after WNBA star Brittney Griner was detained on a trip to Russia until the Biden administration agreed to free arms dealer Viktor Bout in exchange.
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