'The Russian security services are paying an especially large amount of attention to what foreign correspondents are doing,' former Moscow reporter says
Former NPR Moscow correspondent on WSJ reporter held in Russia: Probably in wrong place at wrong timeFormer NPR Moscow correspondent Lucian Kim discusses the plight of his friend Evan Gershkovich, who is being held in Russia on espionage charges widely considered dubious.
The Russian government arrested Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich last week, slapping him with espionage charges widely considered preposterous. But there are unanswered questions surrounding the controversial capture, with the most important being: Why him?
Many have speculated that the 31-year-old reporter New Jersey native was arrested so Russia could offer him up in a prisoner swap, while some feel it’s the latest example of Russian President Vladimir Putin using Americans as leverage to pressure the West and deter the U.S. from helping Ukraine in its war effort. He could have simply been at the wrong place at the wrong time, and others believe the Kremlin probably insists Gershkovich violated its strict journalism laws, which are so over-the-top that many America news organizations don’t bother sending reporters to Russia any longer.
Lucian Kim, a Global Fellow with the Wilson Center in Washington, D.C., and former NPR Moscow correspondent, struck up a friendship with Gershkovich in 2019. Kim noted that there simply aren’t many American journalists left in Russia and the Wall Street Journal reporter probably stood out for seeking the truth. Gershkovich came to the WSJ after prior stints at the Moscow Times, Agence France-Presse and New York TImes.
"Evan is a fluent Russian speaker because of his family background, and he was traveling around the country and was interested in sensitive issues as a reporter," Kim told Fox News Digital.
RUSSIA DETAINMENT OF WALL STREET JOURNAL REPORTER ON SPYING CHARGES SPARKS OUTRAGE: ‘UNJUST DETENTION’
Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich was detained by Russian officials on espionage charges that are widely considered bogus. (Fox News)
"He was interested in Russia's war effort and how the economy was doing. He was interested in public sentiment. How were people reacting to all these body bags coming back? And these were, of course, sensitive issues," Kim continued. "I think from the point of view of the Russian security services, he might have been in some places which might have made him look suspicious in terms of building a case against him. That's just speculation."
Gershkovich has formally appealed his detention, according to Russian state media.In March 2022, Russia took censorship to new heights when it enacted a new law that would send journalists to prison for up to 15 years for spreading "false information" about the country’s invasion of Ukraine the previous month.