US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, following the arrest of journalist Evan Gershkovich, has called on Americans residing in Russia to leave the country.
“We are deeply concerned by the widespread reports of Russia’s detention of an American journalist, a US citizen. We are in contact with The Wall Street Journal regarding this situation. US citizens who are in Russia should leave immediately,” said the statement issued by the State Department.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, for her part, said that the State Department is in direct contact with the Russian government and is actively working to secure consular access to Gershkovich.
It should be noted that earlier, correspondent for the American newspaper The Wall Street Journal, Evan Gershkovich, was arrested in Yekaterinburg.
According to intelligence data, the journalist was “collecting information about one of the enterprises of the Russian military-industrial complex, which constitutes a state secret, on the instructions of the United States.”
The agency clarified that the journalist was engaged in “illegal activity” in Yekaterinburg, which was successfully “halted.” A espionage case has been opened.
According to Kommersant, the journalist is expected to be transferred to Moscow and detained at the Lefortovo court. The court has detained the journalist for two months.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted that Gershkovich was detained on grounds of a crime.
Evan Gershkovich has been living in Moscow for 6 years and is accredited with Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Gershkovich is a journalist who covers events in Russia, Ukraine and the countries of the former Soviet Union. He has previously worked for Agence France-Presse, The Moscow Times and The New York Times. The Wall Street Journal published Gershkovich’s last article on March 28.
