Russia Arrests Wall Street Journal Reporter on Spying Charge
thewrap.comthe Journal reported.Russia’s Federal Security Bureau, a successor to the Soviet KGB, accused Gershkovich of trying to obtain classified information.
The agency claimed that “acting on the instructions of the American side, collected information constituting a state secret about the activities of one of the enterprises of the Russian military-industrial complex,” the Journal said.
The reporter is accredited to work as a journalist in Russia by the country’s foreign ministry, the Journal said.Gershkovich was taken to Moscow by Russian authorities and appeared in court with a state-appointed defense attorney and was ordered held in custody until May 29, the Journal said, citing Russia’s TASS news agency.
Gershkovich pleaded not guilty, according to TASS.Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Wednesday: “It is not about a suspicion, is it about the fact that he was caught red-handed,” The Associated Press reported.“The Wall Street Journal vehemently denies the allegations from the FSB and seeks the immediate release of our trusted and dedicated reporter, Evan Gershkovich,” the Journal said. “We stand in solidarity with Evan and his family.”It’s the first time a U.S.
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