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“Hostage for exchange” – How Russia and the world reacted to the detention of journalist Gershkovich

On March 30, the FSB announced the arrest in Yekaterinburg of Wall Street Journal journalist Evan Gershkovich on suspicion of espionage. According to the intelligence service, it gathered information about the military-industrial complex enterprise “for the benefit of the US government”. How the detention of Gershkovich reacted in Russia and abroad – in the journal RTVI.

Press Secretary of the President of Russia Dmitry Peskov

“To our knowledge, he was caught red-handed. It’s not about suspicion, he was caught in the act.”

Official representative of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Maria Zakharova

“What an employee of the American edition of the Wall Street Journal was doing in Yekaterinburg has nothing to do with journalism. Unfortunately, this is not the first time that the status of “foreign correspondent”, a visa and a journalist’s accreditation have been used by foreigners in our country to conceal activities that are not journalistic. This is not the first well-known Western “grabbed by the hand”.

Reporters Without International Borders (RSF):

“The WSJ correspondent was investigating the activities of the Wagner military company. RSF is alarmed by what appears to be a “retaliatory measure”: journalists must not be targeted!”

Head of Eastern Europe and Central Asia RSF Jeanne Cavelier

“The situation is very worrying. This is the first foreign journalist arrested in Russia since the beginning (of hostilities) . It is very worrying because he (Gershkovich) faces up to 20 years in prison and is accused of espionage. We cannot say whether this journalist is a spy or not. But there is a clear desire to intimidate Western journalists with such actions by the FSB.

Giuseppe Zaffuto, press officer of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe

“Council of Europe Secretary General Maria Pejcinovic-Buric deplores the detention of WSJ journalist Evan Gershkovich in Yekaterinburg. This only confirms the growing shrinking space for media freedom in Russia since the country was expelled from the Council of Europe more than a year ago.

Journalist Ilya Azar

“Journalistic work is not espionage! Almost all freelance journalists with Russian passports were expelled from Russia, and now they also want to remove all foreign correspondents (and at the same time change some “Bout” for themselves). Evan, honey, wait!

Editor-in-chief of Mediazona Sergei Smirnov

“They’re taking hostages for the exchange fund. At the same time, they show that it is no longer safe for Western journalists to work in Russia.
“The plot of the case doesn’t really matter – he (Gershkovich) was taken hostage for an exchange and it doesn’t matter what they show him officially there. The decision on his fate will only be not taken in court nor during the investigation, but during the negotiations between Russia and the United States Evan is a very brave guy, a good journalist, not at all a spy.

Editor-in-chief of the Dozhd TV channel Tikhon Dzyadko

“Remind me what they call people who take other people hostage?”

Editor-in-chief of the Agence Roman Badinin project

“This means, among other things, that all foreign media will have to urgently close their offices in Moscow. Since last year, only foreign passport holders have stayed in Russia – it seems to be safe. Closed Russia has become completely closed. Freedom for Gershkovich.

Bellingcat Founder Elliot Higgins

“Russia is gathering more hostages to exchange for its spies and criminals. The United States and the West in general must start telling its citizens that when they travel to Russia, there is a good chance that the Russian state will take them hostage to use them in a prisoner exchange. It’s definitely happening with Evan Hershkowitz.”

Investigative journalist Andrei Soldatov

“Evan Gershkovich is a very good and brave journalist, not a spy, for heaven’s sake. This is a frontal attack against all foreign correspondents still working in Russia. And that means the FSB is off the leash.

Investigative journalist Andrey Zakharov

“The swap fund in Russia is basically just Paul Whelan (correct if wrong). And so they took Evan, who loved Russia like no one else.

Max Seddon, Financial Times correspondent in Russia

“Shocked by the horrific news of Russia’s absurd spying allegations against Evan Gershkowitz, an excellent journalist and friend. Evan is accredited to the Russian Foreign Ministry and was just doing his job. Journalism is not a crime. Russia must release him immediately.

Guardian journalist Petr Sauer

“My friend and thoroughly professional journalist Evan Gershkovich was arrested by the FSB on a clearly fabricated charge of espionage. Journalism is not a crime. Evan must be released immediately.”

BBC journalist Sarah Rainsford

“Some have suggested that Evan Gershkovich was arrested because Russia wants a prisoner exchange, but if you remember Paul Whelan was arrested over four years ago. He is still in prison. as likely as Russia wants to scare off the foreign press after silencing independent Russian media.

Political journalist Eva Hartog

“I’ve known Evan since his first day in Russia and that’s a horrible lie.”

Telegraph journalist Alec Lun

“Gershkovich has extensive experience in Russia, official clearance, and he is clearly not a spy. This could be a game-changer for foreign media still operating there.

Washington Post reporter Robin Dixon

“The nightmare of this case is that senior officials (Kremlin representative Peskov and Zakharova from the Foreign Ministry) talk about it as if the charges against (Gershkovich) have already been proven. Peskov said Evan was “caught in the act”. Extremely disturbing.”

Vladimir Osechkin, founder of the Gulagu.net project

“Unfortunately, many still do not understand how much Russia has changed over the past year. And this courageous and strong journalist too. We warned of the risks, of the tendency to “take hostage” of American citizens to negotiate and free Kremlin agents from American prisons. Hopefully Mr. Gershkovich will be freed and not put on another shameful spectacle.”

Politician Dmitry Gudkov

“The journalist was taken hostage in Yekaterinburg – Evan Gershkovich. Naturally, a terrorist state took him hostage, we haven’t had any other terrorists for a long time.
“It’s of course a shock. Let’s wait for the FSB to show up specifically, but it looks like they’ve taken a hostage. It is interesting that the FSB evasively states that Evan acted “on instructions from the American side”, which can be interpreted in the broadest sense. From this, we can assume that the FSB has nothing that would indicate that Evan worked for the special services under the guise of a journalist. But this, of course, brings relations between Russia and the United States to a new round of confrontation.

Lawyer, founder of the human rights project “The First Department” Ivan Pavlov

“The case of WSJ journalist Evan Gershkovich has become a precedent, because until now foreign journalists accredited to the Russian Foreign Ministry have worked under an unspoken rule that they will not be affected.”

Press officer for Alexei Navalny Kira Yarmysh

“The arrest of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich is dictated by a single objective – to take a person hostage. Putin is ready to use any means to pressure the West. Evan a quick release.”

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Russia Desk
Russia Desk
The Eastern Herald’s Russia Desk validates the stories published under this byline. That includes editorials, news stories, letters to the editor, and multimedia features on easternherald.com.

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