US Reporter Detained for Two Months by Moscow Court

A US journalist, Evan Gershkovich, has been detained in Moscow on suspicion of spying. Gershkovich works as a reporter for the Wall Street Journal and has been placed in detention for a period of one month and 29 days, until May 29, 2023, according to a statement from the Moscow Lefortovsky district court. The court has the option to extend his detention at the end of this period. The state-run TASS news agency has reported that Gershkovich’s case has been classified as “top secret” and he has denied the allegations against him. Russia’s FSB security service announced his arrest on Thursday, accusing him of “spying in the interests of the American government.” Gershkovich worked for AFP in Moscow before joining The Wall Street Journal early last year. The Wall Street Journal has expressed concern for his safety, and media watchdog Reporters Without Borders has said it is “alarmed by what looks like retaliation.”