Russia arresting US journalist is an eerie throwback to Cold War days

The war in Ukraine, sanctions on Kremlin, and a Russian jet attacking a US army drone had already put US-Russia ties at an all-time low. But now the situation might further deteriorate as Russia on Thursday (March 30) arrested a US journalist on espionage charges.

The arrest of Evan Gershkovich of The Wall Street Journal is the first time a US reporter has been detained on spying accusations since the Cold War era. The newspaper has denied the allegations and demanded the journalist's release.

The White House while condemning the arrest has warned Americans not to travel to Russia, and has asked those inside the country to immediately leave.

What happened

Gershkovich, 31, was arrested in Yekaterinburg, Russia's fourth-largest city, on Thursday by the country's Federal Security Service (FSB) and was accused of trying to obtain classified information.

Soon after his arrest, a Moscow court quickly ruled that Gershkovich would be kept behind bars pending the investigation.

Gershkovich was transferred to the capital Moscow and placed in detention until May 29 pending trial.

We are deeply concerned over Russia’s announcement it has detained a U.S. citizen journalist. The @StateDept’s highest priority is the safety and security of U.S. citizens abroad. If you are a U.S. citizen living or traveling in Russia – please leave immediately.

— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) March 30, 2023

The allegations against Gershkovich

The FSB, which is the top most Russian security agency and the main successor to the Soviet-era KGB, alleged that Gershkovich "was acting on instructions from the US side to collect information about the activities of one of the enterprises of the Russian military-industrial complex that constitutes a state secret."

Reporters Without Borders said Gershkovich was investigating the Wagner Group, the privately-run army that has been a crucial player in Russia's war in Ukraine. The group is controlled by Yevgeny Prigozhin, who is also a close ally of Putin.

The Kremlin and the Russian foreign ministry have said that the journalist was "caught red-handed". A law enforcement source told state news agency TASS that the case files were "top secret".

Response from the US govt and The WSJ

The US government has said that it has spoken with the newspaper and Gershkovich's family. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre condemned the arrest and urged Americans not to travel to Russia. The US State Department said it was in direct touch with the Russian government and seeking access to Gershkovich, Jean-Pierre said.

"The targeting of American citizens by the Russian government is unacceptable. We condemn the detention of Mr Gershkovich in the strongest terms," Jean-Pierre said.

The Wall Street Journal said it was deeply concerned for Gershkovich's safety and denied the claim from the FSB security service that the journalist was spying. The Journal "vehemently denies the allegations from the FSB and seeks the immediate release of our trusted and dedicated reporter, Evan Gershkovich," the newspaper said.

What is Kremlin saying?

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that Gershkovich had been caught in the act of trying to collect intelligence about a defence facility, in violation of Russian laws on state secrets. Peskov said that he does not know the full details of the case and that the matter remains in the hands of the FSB.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov has said that the issue of potentially exchanging the WSJ journalist in a swap deal has not been raised, reported RT.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova has claimed that whatever Gershkovich was doing when he was detained by the FSB, it had "nothing to do with journalism."

Tit for tat?

The arrest of Gershkovich comes just a week after US authorities arrested Sergey Vladimirovich Cherkasov, accusing him of being a Russian spy. He was indicted in a federal court.

#UPDATE White House condemns 'in the strongest terms' arrest of American journalist Evan Gershkovich in Russia, reiterates call for US citizens in country to 'depart immediately'

📷 Gershkovich leaving a Moscow court Thursdayhttps://t.co/QnGayC5wTz pic.twitter.com/JAhKI4YrSH

— AFP News Agency (@AFP) March 30, 2023

Many believe that the arrest of the WSJ journalist could be a tit-for-tat move from Russia. However, Kremlin spokesperson Peskov said he has no such information.

"I do not have such information. I have nothing to say on this topic," Peskov said in reply to a question by CNN if Gershkovich's arrest could be a "retaliatory measure".

Spying by journalists during the Cold War

During the Cold War era, both the Soviet Union and the United States employed people, many times journalists, as spies to gather intelligence on each other.

In the Soviet Union, journalists were often members of the KGB or other intelligence agencies, and their primary job was to gather information about the political, military, and economic situation in foreign countries.

The White House says espionage charges against a Wall Street Journal reporter, detained by Russia, are 'ridiculous' https://t.co/nbLeUH1kpw pic.twitter.com/xYb4OcoR0C

— Reuters (@Reuters) March 30, 2023

The CIA and other intelligence agencies would often use journalists to gather information about foreign countries and to plant stories in foreign newspapers to influence public opinion.

One of the most famous cases of a journalist being used as a spy during the Cold War was that of Kim Philby, a British journalist who worked as a double agent for the Soviet Union. Philby was able to rise through the ranks of British intelligence while passing information to the KGB.

Gershkovich is the first US reporter to be arrested on espionage charges in Russia since September 1986, when Nicholas Daniloff, a Moscow correspondent for US News and World Report was arrested by the KGB. Daniloff was released days later in a swap for an employee of the Soviet Union who was arrested by the FBI on spying charges.