U.S. Ambassador to Russia Lynne Tracy paid a visit to detained Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich on Friday at Moscow’s notorious Lefortovo Prison.
The embassy’s visit comes weeks after a Moscow court extended Mr. Gershkovich’s detention on espionage charges by three months, keeping him behind bars until at least Nov. 30. An order that authorized keeping Mr. Gershkovich in jail before trial was set to expire on Aug. 30. He has since appealed the court’s decision to extend his detention.
According to a statement released on the U.S. Embassy Moscow’s social media account, Ms. Tracy expressed her support for Mr. Gershkovich, whom the United States has declared as “wrongfully detained.”
The embassy noted that Mr. Gershkovich “remains strong” and is staying updated with the latest news, including his parents’ appearance at the United Nations headquarters in New York this week, advocating for his release.
“We reiterate our call for his and Paul Whelan’s immediate release,” the U.S. Embassy Moscow said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Mr. Gershkovich has been in detention since the end of March when he was apprehended in Yekaterinburg, nearly 1,200 miles east of Moscow, while on a reporting assignment.
He faces allegations of espionage on behalf of the United States, specifically that he allegedly “collected information constituting a state secret about the activities of one of the enterprises of the Russian military-industrial complex.”
Both Mr. Gershkovich and his employer have vehemently denied these allegations, with the U.S. government declaring his detention wrongful. Russian authorities have yet to provide concrete evidence to support the espionage charges.
The Wall Street Journal, where Mr. Gershkovich was employed, expressed its deep disappointment over his continued detention in August, asserting that the accusations against him are baseless and categorically false. The publication continues to advocate for his immediate release, emphasizing that journalism is not a crime.
Of particular concern is Mr. Gershkovich’s incarceration at Moscow’s Lefortovo Prison, known for its harsh conditions.
President Joe Biden had previously indicated his intention to pursue a prisoner swap for Mr. Gershkovich, although no concrete developments on this front have been reported.
In a related development, on Sept. 14, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs declared two U.S. diplomats “persona non grata,” leading to a swift response from the U.S. Embassy Moscow.
The embassy released a statement expressing complete rejection of the basis for the expulsion, asserting that the two expelled diplomats were accredited and that their work was consistent with their diplomatic status.
“We have previously voiced our strong protest of the Russian government’s attempts to intimidate and harass U.S. Embassy employees.”
The statement further warned that this move represented a significant escalation and that the U.S. government reserves the right to respond at a time and manner of its choosing.
Mr. Gershkovich is the first American reporter to face espionage charges in Russia since September 1986 when Nicholas Daniloff, a correspondent for U.S. News and World Report, was arrested by the KGB.
In recent years, at least two U.S. citizens arrested in Russia, including WNBA player Brittney Griner, have been exchanged for Russians incarcerated in the United States.
The Russian Foreign Ministry has previously indicated that a swap for Mr. Gershkovich could be considered, but only after a verdict is reached in his trial, which could last for more than a year under Russian legal procedures.
