Gershkovich has live in Moscow For the past six years as a reporter for the Wall Street Journal, he has focused on covering Russia, Ukraine and the former Soviet Union. The Wall Street Journal reported that he was recognized as a journalist by the Russian Foreign Ministry. his last articlepublished on Tuesday, talks about the possible upcoming slowdown of the Russian economy.
Gershkovich’s arrest comes at a time when the Kremlin is cracking down on dissent and criticism in the ongoing war in Ukraine, which the international community has criticized. condemn. In September 2022, Russian police arrest 1,300 people joined anti-war protests after President Vladimir Putin announced that citizens would be called up to join the army to fight against Ukraine. More recently, a Russian father was sentenced to two years in prison after his 13-year-old daughter made pro-Ukraine artwork with the slogan “Glory to Ukraine.”
Russia is also cracking down on the media. After Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Putin signed a law making the country a criminal “fake” coverage of the war with Ukraine — including referring to it as a war — led to many international organizations suspended reports from within the country.
The rest of the stores did the same censorship, with restricted language and penalties for contradicting the government. According to Reporters Without Borders, journalists have also been targeted when reporting from within Ukraine, and eight were killed within the first six months of the war.
In the past, Russian authorities have made numerous arrests of American citizens, often under the pretext of exaggeration or forgery. On February 17, 2022, shortly before Russia invaded Ukraine, Russian authorities arrested WNBA player Brittney Griner after the vape box contained a a small amount of minced oil was found in her luggage. Griner later pleaded guilty to drug charges and was sentenced up to nine years in a Russian penal colony. The case is considered by many to be a political move to exert pressure about the United States, the promised place help to Ukraine. Griner was later released in a prisoner exchange with Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.
Gershkovich is the first journalist in more than 30 years to be detained in Russia on espionage charges. In 1986, Nicholas Daniloff, a reporter for US News & World Report, was arrested by the KGB while he was a reporter in Moscow and was released 20 days later in a prisoner swap for a Russian government employee who had been arrested by the FBI.
