Evan Gershkovich says his arrest in Russia was carefully planned FSB sting
Gershkovich says the FSB used two meetings with a source to build a spy case and secure Putin’s approval for his arrest.
- The Wall Street Journal published an extract from Evan Gershkovich's book 'This Cursed Beautiful Land,' detailing how the reporter became the victim of an elaborate FSB sting operation during his 2023 arrest in Russia.
- While reporting on Russian military production in Yekaterinburg, Gershkovich met a factory contact who attempted to 'thrust the papers into my hands' at a steakhouse meeting, which he now identifies as an elaborate entrapment scheme.
- Although Gershkovich believed foreign correspondents enjoyed an 'unspoken rule' of immunity, masked men from the Federal Security Service quickly seized him, handcuffed him, and placed a black sack over his head before whisking him into a van.
- Gershkovich later learned the FSB had a 'backup plan' to arrest him in Siberia if the Yekaterinburg operation had failed, confirming his belief the operation was pre-planned to secure approval for his detention.
- Following his 16-year sentence, Gershkovich was freed in an East-West prisoner swap in August 2024, though President Vladimir Putin claimed in a February 2024 interview he had been 'caught red-handed' collecting confidential information.
11 Articles
11 Articles
Vladimir Putin was convinced that the American journalist Evan Geršković, who had been convicted in Russia on charges of spying under cover of preparing the material, was indeed a spy, and Geršković himself described it in a piece of his memoirs published in The Wall Street Journal.
The Moscow Times
Evan Gershkovich Says His Arrest in Russia Was Carefully Planned FSB Sting
U.S. reporter Evan Gershkovich, in his first detailed published account of his arrest in Russia in 2023, says he was the victim of an elaborate sting operation by the FSB security service.
The American journalist describes in his book for the first time how he was arrested in a restaurant - He was preparing an article about Russian military production
Evan Gershkovich tells how a fake meeting in Yekaterinburg triggered an FSB operation, bringing it to 16 years in prison and a delicate international exchange. Read more Details on the capture and exchange of prisoners of the American journalist on News.it.
Journalist reveals how he was arrested by Russian authorities while preparing an article for the Wall Street Journal about Russian military production
The harrowing story of an American journalist's arrest in Russia. Evan Gershkovich, a correspondent for The Wall Street Journal, has detailed for the first time how he fell victim to a carefully orchestrated operation by the Russian Federal Security Service. In his new report, he reveals how a simple meeting in a restaurant turned into the dramatic beginning of a 16-year sentence in a Russian prison.
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- 43% of the sources are Center, 43% of the sources lean Right
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