On April 6, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov discussed with US Ambassador Lynn Tracy the detention in Russia of US journalist Evan Gershkovich of the Wall Street Journal. The meeting took place at the request of the American diplomat, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
Ryabkov drew attention to the seriousness of the charges against Gershkovich. He pointed out that the American had been caught in the act. In addition, the WSJ employee attempted to obtain classified information under the guise of his status as a journalist.
The representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry explained that the US Embassy was informed of the detention in a timely manner and that access to the journalist was carried out taking into account the existing consular practice and the legislation of the Russian Federation. .
The ministry noted that the hype around this case is inflated in the United States. Its aim is to influence Russian authorities and the courts, but this is futile and unnecessary, the report says.
Evan Gershkovich’s detention in Yekaterinburg became known on March 29. According to the FSB, the journalist collected secret information “about the activities of one of the enterprises of the Russian military-industrial complex”. The Lefortovo court in Moscow arrested Gershkovich until May 29 for espionage.
The WSJ denied the charges against the correspondent and demanded his immediate release. The newspaper called on US authorities to expel the Russian ambassador and all Russian journalists working in the country.
Earlier, on April 2, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov discussed the WSJ reporter’s detention in a phone conversation.
of Russian Deputy Foreign Minister and US Ambassador discussing the detention of WSJ reporter Gershkovich
