Russia formally charges US reporter

Online desk: Moscow has formally charged US journalist Evan Gershkovich with espionage, Russian news agencies reported Friday, accusations rejected both by the reporter and his employer.

The charges against Wall Street Journal correspondent Evan Gershkovich are the first of their kind in Russia since the fall of the Soviet Union, prompting an outcry from media outlets, rights groups and foreign governments.

Investigators from the FSB, the state security service that succeeded the KGB, “charged Gershkovich with espionage in the interests of his country,” state-run agency TASS said, citing a law enforcement source.

“He categorically denied all accusations and stated that he was engaged in journalistic activities in Russia,” TASS said.

The Wall Street Journal, one of the leading US newspapers, said it heard of the charges through the media reports and rejected them.

“As we’ve said from the beginning, these charges are categorically false and unjustified, and we continue to demand Evan’s immediate release,” the newspaper said in a statement.

It has previously called Gershkovich a “trusted and dedicated reporter”.

The case has been classified as secret, limiting the amount of information available.

His arrest comes as Moscow’s relationship with Washington has seriously deteriorated because of the Ukraine offensive.

Washington has long accused Moscow of arbitrarily arresting Americans in order to secure the release of detained Russians.

US President Joe Biden has called for Gershkovich’s release. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre earlier described the allegation of espionage as “ridiculous.”

The arrest led the State Department to summon the Russian ambassador and Secretary of State Antony Blinken pressed the case in a telephone call to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, only their third one-on-one interaction since the Ukraine offensive began in February 2022.