Evan Gershkovich says his arrest in Russia was carefully planned FSB sting
US reporter Evan Gershkovich was arrested in Russia in 2023 and now believes he was a victim of an elaborate sting operation by Russia's federal security service.
US journalist Evan Gershkovich, recounting his 2023 arrest in Russia, claims he was ensnared in a meticulously orchestrated sting by Russia's FSB security service. In his Wall Street Journal book, "This Cursed Beautiful Land," Gershkovich describes two meetings with a Yekaterinburg factory union leader, one of which ended in his detainment.
During their second encounter at a steakhouse, the source handed him documents purportedly detailing tank production. As he took notes, masked men stormed their table, arresting Gershkovich for espionage. At 31, he became the first US reporter to face espionage charges in Russia since the Cold War. Gershkovich was later released from a 16-year sentence in a prisoner swap in 2024.
He admits his team had weighed the risks of the reporting trip, but the source inadvertently provided the papers, violating the agreed-upon safety measures. Gershkovich asserts that while foreign correspondents often faced expulsion, they were typically not arrested. He believes the Yekaterinburg meetings were designed to convince President Putin Gershkovich was a spy, securing his arrest at the second meeting.
The Kremlin has not commented on the allegations, but Putin has previously called Gershkovich "caught red-handed" while collecting confidential information. Both his newspaper and the US government deny the claims that Gershkovich was a spy.
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