Significance of WSJ reporter held in Russian jail should not be underestimated
Former deputy national security advisor KT McFarland discusses Evan Gershkovich held in Russian jail over espionage.
The Wall Street Journal published a touching video of reporter Evan Gershkovich’s colleagues speaking out about his passion for both journalism and Russian culture, as he languishes in a Moscow prison on espionage charges widely considered bogus.
The Russian government's Federal Security Service arrested Gershkovich last week, charging him with spying on behalf of the United States government. The WSJ featured a variety of his colleagues lauding their colleague as a top-notch journalist who doesn’t belong in jail; why he was targeted remains unclear, but a high-profile American reporter could fetch a significant figure for Russia in a hypothetical prisoner exchange.
"Evan Gershkovich is not a spy, he is a talented, resourceful, dedicated professional journalist," Wall Street Journal Moscow Bureau chief Ann Simmons said in the video that includes various clips of Gershkovich prior to the widely condemned arrest.
Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich was detained by Russian officials on espionage charges. (Fox News)
Middle East correspondent Benoit Faucon said Gershkovich simply "doesn’t belong" in a Russian jail.
"It’s not where he belongs, he belongs in this newsroom," Faucon said.
Eastern Europe correspondent Thomas Grove echoed those thoughts.
"He’s being held hostage," Grove said. "Through no fault of his own, he’s behind bars."
Gershkovich was arrested by Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) Thursday while reporting in Yekaterinburg, which is roughly 800 miles east of Moscow. Russian state news agency TASS has reported that Gershkovich was ordered to be held in custody until May 29. The New York Times reported that if past cases are any indication, he could be held in a high-security prison for more than a year, and his conviction in a closed courtroom is a near certainty.
The Wall Street Journal, Biden administration and journalists across the globe have expressed outrage over Gershkovich’s arrest.
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"Evan was doing what reporters do," WSJ editor-in-chief Emma Tucker said in the video.
President Biden has called for Russia to let him go immediately, while Gershkovich’s co-workers are concerned about their friend and colleague.
"We knew from the time he joined us last year that we have a winner," world editor Deborah Ball said.
WSJ reporter Matthew Luxmoore recalled Gershkovich’s "incredible excitement about Russia" that helped him become a better journalist. The 31-year-old is the son of immigrants from the former Soviet Union, and he has long had a fascination with his parents' home country. Raised in New Jersey, he speaks fluent Russian and immersed himself in Moscow's culture as he befriended both his journalist colleagues and local Russians alike.
"He was telling me about the books he was reading to get to know the country better, he was incredibly excited about the prospect of reporting from there," Luxmoore said.
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Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich was detained by Russia’s Federal Security Service. (Wall Street Journal/Screenshot)
WSJ senior European correspondent Jenny Strasburg added, "He believes that being on the ground is really important, and we all benefit from that."
Gershkovich has been reporting on Russia for six years, with stops at The New York Times (2016-2017), The Moscow Times (2017-2020) and Agence France-Presse (2020-2022) before joining the Wall Street Journal last year.
"It was very clear right off the bat that his knowledge of the former Soviet Union was extremely deep. He knew it like the back of his hand," WSJ senior video reporter Shelby Holliday said.
Gershkovich is the first American journalist arrested in Russia and charged with espionage since U.S. News & World Report correspondent Nicholas Daniloff in 1986. Daniloff was released in a prisoner swap after being held captive for two weeks.
Fox News’ David Rutz, Kristine Parks and The Associated Press contributed to this report.