Who is Evan Gershkovich? WSJ journalist arrested in Russia on espionage charges

Moscow: American reporter for Wall Street Journal (WSJ) Evan Gershkovich has been arrested in Russia on the charges of espionage, Russia’s top security agency said on Thursday.  

WSJ in a statement said, "The Wall Street Journal is deeply concerned for the safety of Gershkovich." The Federal Security Service (FSB), top KGB successor agency, said that the WSJ reporter was detained from the Ural Mountains city of Yekaterinburg while he allegedly tried to obtain classified information.

FSB alleges Gershkovich was acting on the instruction of America

In a statement, FSB said, "Gershkovich acting on the instructions of the American side, collected information constituting a state secret about the activities of one of the enterprises of the Russian military-industrial complex," read a WSJ report.

The FSB has also alleged that Gershkovich "was collecting classified information about the activities of one of the enterprises of the Russian military-industrial complex that constitutes a state secret," according to Al-Jazeera.

Ever since the Cold War, he is the first journalist from an American news organisation to be detained in Russia on suspicion of espionage, and his detention comes at a time of intense international concern due to the conflict in Ukraine.

Who is Evan Gershkovich?

The Wall Street Journal hired Gershkovich, 31, who was formerly employed by AFP in Moscow. 

Gershkovich covers Russia and Ukraine and was duly accredited as a journalist as a correspondent for the Wall Street Journal's Moscow office.

His most recent assessment, which was released last week, concentrated on the stagnation of the Russian economy in the face of Western sanctions.

Before, he worked as a reporter for The Moscow Times, according to his bio in Wall Street Journal.

Gershkovich speaks Russian as his parents are from the Soviet Union but now reside in the United States.

(With inputs from ANI)