Key facts
- US journalist Evan Gershkovich stated he realized he was being set up by Russian authorities during his arrest.
- Gershkovich was detained by FSB agents in Yekaterinburg, Russia, in 2023.
- He believes the espionage charges were fabricated to make him a "valuable hostage" for a prisoner swap.
- Gershkovich was held in Moscow's Lefortovo jail for 16 months.
- He was released on August 1, 2024, in a prisoner exchange.
- Gershkovich described his time in prison as isolating but stated he was treated differently from other inmates who faced torture.
US journalist Evan Gershkovich has spoken for the first time about his arrest and 16-month detention in Russia, stating he realized he was being "lured into a trap" by FSB agents who fabricated espionage charges to use him as a "valuable hostage." Gershkovich, the Wall Street Journal's foreign correspondent in Moscow, was detained in Yekaterinburg in 2023. He described a sense of relief upon realizing the charges were likely part of a larger geopolitical game, rather than a genuine espionage case, which he believed would lead to a prisoner swap. He was held in Moscow's Lefortovo jail, a facility known for housing high-profile inmates. While he described the experience as isolating, he noted he was treated differently from other prisoners who faced torture, drawing a contrast with the case of Ukrainian journalist Viktoriia Roshchyna, who reportedly died in Russian captivity showing signs of torture. Gershkovich was released on August 1, 2024, as part of a prisoner exchange, reportedly involving Vadim Krasikov, an assassin serving a life sentence in Germany. He has since been undergoing therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder and is considering writing a book about his ordeal. Gershkovich, whose parents emigrated from the Soviet Union, expressed a hope to return to Russia one day, but expressed uncertainty about future political leadership.
His employer, The Wall Street Journal, and Gershkovich have consistently maintained his innocence, asserting that the charges against him are false.