Russian Court Upholds Detention of WSJ Reporter Evan Gershkovich

A Russian court upheld the detention of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, whom the U.S. government deems to be wrongfully detained, following recent remarks by President Vladimir Putin that he is open to a prisoner exchange for the journalist’s release.

Tuesday’s rejection of the latest appeal by Gershkovich’s lawyers means he is set to remain behind bars until at least March 30, which would mark more than a year since he was taken into custody on an allegation of espionage that the Journal and the U.S. government vehemently deny.

Gershkovich, a 32-year-old U.S. citizen who was accredited by Russia’s Foreign Ministry to work there as a journalist, was detained by agents from the Federal Security Service on March 29 last year during a reporting trip in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg.

Russian investigators haven’t publicly presented evidence to back up their espionage allegation against Gershkovich, who is being held at Moscow’s Lefortovo Prison. Moscow has said it is acting in accordance with its laws.

Earlier this month, in a lengthy interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, Putin said a prisoner swap for Gershkovich was being discussed between the U.S. and Russia but that the two sides needed to reach an agreement. Putin didn’t specify who Moscow was demanding in return for Gershkovich or other U.S. citizens detained in Russia.

U.S. officials declined to comment on Putin’s prisoner-exchange remarks, saying only that “Evan Gershkovich never should have been detained in the first place,” and should be freed immediately.

The court has rejected previous appeals by Gershkovich’s lawyers, at least one of which requested that he be transferred to house arrest, agree to constraints on his movements or be granted bail. The reporter’s initial pretrial detention was scheduled to expire on May 29 last year.

Legal experts say it could still be months before Gershkovich’s case is brought to trial. Under Russian law, investigators and prosecutors have wide latitude to request further extensions of pretrial detention. Espionage trials are typically conducted in secret and conviction could carry a prison sentence of 10 to 20 years. It is rare for a court to acquit a defendant in such cases.

Gershkovich was the first American journalist to be charged with espionage in Russia since the end of the Cold War. The U.S. government’s designation of wrongful detainment unlocked a broad effort to exert pressure on Moscow to free him. His case has garnered international attention and bipartisan support in the House of Representatives, which last June approved a resolution calling on Russia to immediately free Gershkovich.

Russia is also holding Michigan corporate-security executive Paul Whelan, who the U.S. also believes is being wrongly detained in Russia. The former U.S. Marine was convicted of espionage in 2020 and is serving a 16-year sentence in a Russian penal colony. Whelan, his family and the U.S. government say he isn’t a spy.

A third American, Alsu Kurmasheva, who holds dual U.S.-Russian citizenship and works for Prague-based Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, was taken into custody in October on a charge that she failed to register as a foreign agent. She also faces an allegation that she spread false information about Russia’s military. RFE/RL, Kurmasheva’s family and supporters say they believe she is being targeted for being a journalist and an American.

Russian law requires that individuals and organizations receiving funding from abroad and those deemed to be engaged in certain activities, such as gathering and distributing information about the Russian military, register as foreign agents. Kurmasheva, who is based in Prague, wasn’t doing any reporting in Russia during her visit, her company said.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has denied that Russia is intentionally victimizing U.S. nationals.

“There are many foreign journalists working in Russia,” he said in an emailed response to questions. “They freely carry out their work, regardless of which country they represent. If law enforcement agencies suspect some of violating the law, appropriate measures are taken against them.”

Relations between Washington and Moscow have deteriorated starkly since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. On Friday, President Biden blamed Putin for the death in prison of the Russian leader’s most effective opponent, opposition activist Alexei Navalny.

“Make no mistake. Putin is responsible for Navalny’s death,” Biden said.

In a daily news briefing Monday, Peskov said an investigation was under way.

“In the absence of information, we consider it totally unacceptable to make such statements, which are frankly outright rude,” he added, referring to comments from political leaders blaming Putin for Navalny’s death.

Write to Ann M. Simmons at [email protected]