Putin approved arrest of US reporter on spying charges in Russia: Sources
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The detention of US reporter Evan Gershkovich marked yet another low in US-Russian ties, which have spiralled since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
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MOSCOW - Russian President Vladimir Putin personally approved the arrest of a US reporter on espionage charges for the first time since the Cold War, according to people familiar with the situation.
The Russian President’s endorsement of the move reflects the growing influence of Kremlin hardliners who push for deepening a confrontation with Washington they view as irreversible, the people said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss matters that are not public.
The detention of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich Mr Putin’s invasion of Ukraine
“This should be a real wake-up call, not just to the US, but the broader West,” said Ms Alina Polyakova, president of the Centre for European Policy Analysis in Washington. “It’s signalling that in Putin’s mindset that there’s no going back to a stable and reliable relationship.”
As the war drags into its second year, the Kremlin has increasingly sought to portray it as an existential struggle against a Nato bent on destroying Russia.
Moves like the war crimes warrant against Mr Putin
Parliament this week rushed through a sharp toughening of penalties for those who seek to avoid military service.
The changes create a new online system to deliver call-up notices and ban those who ignore them from leaving the country, closing loopholes many had used to avoid the draft.
The measure, expected to be signed into law soon by Mr Putin, has fuelled fears a new mobilisation may come later in 2023. The Kremlin says there are currently no such plans.
Last year’s call-up of 300,000 reservists triggered the exodus of as many as a million Russians.
The initiative to arrest a US reporter on spying charges for the first time in nearly 40 years came from hawks among top officials of Russia’s security services, the people with knowledge of the issue said.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said it was not Mr Putin’s decision, but was “the total prerogative of the special services”.
“They were doing their job,” he said.
Those agencies report directly to the president.
Gershkovich, 31, was detained in Yekaterinburg, about 1,400km east of Moscow, by Federal Security Service (FSB) agents. Charged with spying, which carries a 20-year penalty, he is now being held in Moscow’s Lefortovo prison and so far Russia has not granted US consular access.
The Kremlin says he was caught “red-handed”, but has provided no evidence.
The Wall Street Journal denies the allegations.
‘Wrongfully detained’
The State Department has formally determined Gershkovich has been wrongfully detained by Russia, which opens the way to the US to negotiate on his behalf.
Russia has pushed to include in previous prisoner swops Kremlin insider Vladislav Klyushin, who was found guilty in February of insider trading and hacking, according to people familiar with the matter.
He has information relating to the hacking of Democratic Party servers during the 2016 presidential election, they said.
In 2022, Russia and the US conducted two prisoner exchanges, including in December when they swopped basketball star Brittney Griner for notorious arms dealer Viktor Bout.
US President Joe Biden spoke with Gershkovich’s family on April 11, assuring them that “the government is doing everything in its power to bring him home as quickly as possible”, the family said in a statement.
Ms Polyakova said that with the public focus on the case, the US now may have no choice but to negotiate, encouraging more such hostage-taking.
“The Russians are getting far more aggressive and they’ve seen that when you take high-profile US citizens hostage, you get what you want,” she said. BLOOMBERG
