American journalist Evan Gershkovich was accused by the Federal Security Service (FSB) of spying against Russia while he was reporting in Yekaterinburg.
“The FSB investigation charged Gershkovich with espionage in the interests of his country. He categorically denied all accusations and stated that he was engaged in journalistic activities in Russia,” according to a statement from Russia.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) released a joint statement on the Senate Democrats website saying, “We demand the baseless, fabricated charges against Mr. Gershkovich be dropped and he be immediately released and reiterate our condemnation of the Russian government’s continued attempts to intimidate, repress, and punish independent journalists and civil society voices.”
Some believe the arrest to be a sign of Russian retaliation against the United States for supplying aid to Ukraine.
Reporting from The Daily Wire:
“It looks like a retaliation measure of Russia against the United States, so we are very alarmed because it is probably a way to intimidate all Western journalists that are trying to investigate aspects of the war on the ground in Russia,” [John Cavelier of Reporters Without Borders] Cavelier told The Associated Press. “The Western powers should immediately ask for clarifications on the charges, because as far as we know he was just doing his job as a journalist.”
