Two weeks after Wall Street Journal correspondent Evan Gershkovich was arrested in Russia, one thing is clear: his detention is a watershed in the history of Russian reporting – and it will change the way foreign media cover the country from now on.
The American’s detention, in the Urals city of Ekaterinburg on 29 March, has provoked a massive wave of support for the experienced and respected reporter. He has since been charged with espionage – the first US journalist to be accused of this since the Cold War.
Moscow officials have presented Gershkovich’s alleged actions as “activities that have nothing to do with journalism”, but without producing any evidence. In turn, the US State Department has declared that Gershkovich has been “wrongfully detained”. The 32-year-old is, US officials say, a hostage of the Russian legal system.
