Moscow – American journalist Evan Gershkovich has been released in a prisoner swap after being held in Russian detention for five months on espionage charges. Gershkovich, 32, was the first American journalist to be arrested on espionage charges in Russia since the Cold War.
Gershkovich was arrested in March 2023 while reporting for the Wall Street Journal in Yekaterinburg, Russia. He was later accused of spying for the CIA, but Russian authorities never provided any public evidence to support their claims. The US State Department designated him as wrongfully detained and called for his immediate release.
During his detention, Gershkovich was held in Moscow’s notorious Lefortovo prison, where he spent almost every hour of the day in a small cell. He was later transferred to a prison in Yekaterinburg, where he was allowed one hour of walking per day. He passed the time by writing letters to his friends and family.
In July, Gershkovich was found guilty of spying and sentenced to 16 years in prison by a Russian court. The US government, the WSJ, and his supporters denounced the case as a sham. Gershkovich and his supporters vehemently denied the charges against him.
The prisoner swap comes as a relief to Gershkovich’s family, friends, and supporters. The release is seen as a positive development in the midst of heightened tensions between the US and Russia.