Evan Gershkovich: From Dream Assignment to Prisoner Swap – The Harrowing Journey of an American Journalist in Russia
Evan Gershkovich secured what he considered his dream job in Moscow in 2022, reporting for a renowned newspaper on major global events at just 31.
However, his promising career quickly became a nightmare when he was arrested, becoming the first American journalist detained in Russia since the Cold War.
He was accused of collecting sensitive military information for the U.S. CIA, allegations that he and his employer firmly denied.
During his 16-month detention, Gershkovich, a reporter for The Wall Street Journal, was used as a bargaining chip by the Kremlin.
President Vladimir Putin hinted at a possible exchange with Washington, escalating the tension surrounding his imprisonment.
Initially held in Moscow’s infamous Lefortovo jail, Gershkovich received a 16-year sentence in July 2024 after a secretive and hasty trial.
He was convicted of attempting to gather military secrets about a crucial tank factory for Russia’s war efforts. Both his employer and the U.S.
government declared his innocence, calling the trial a sham, while the Kremlin insisted he was caught “red-handed” spying.
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Gershkovich’s ordeal unfolded against the backdrop of the Ukraine war, which, according to the Kremlin, had driven U.S.-Russia relations to an all-time low.
On Thursday, the Turkish presidency announced his release as part of a major east-west prisoner exchange involving 26 individuals.
To cope with his imprisonment, Gershkovich, a graduate in literature and philosophy, immersed himself in Russian classics, including Vasily Grossman’s “Life and Fate,” a World War Two epic.
In his cell, he stayed informed through a TV that only aired Russian state channels.
In his correspondence, Gershkovich often joked about his jail life, frequently asking friends and colleagues for gossip. An email account set up to forward messages of support received thousands of letters during his detention.
Gershkovich’s primary interaction with the outside world occurred during court hearings, where he exchanged smiles with fellow reporters from inside a glass cage.
He was allowed to speak during these sessions, particularly when his parents, former Soviet citizens who emigrated to the U.S. in the late 1970s, attended hearings to support him.
Gershkovich, now 32, grew up in New Jersey and learned Russian from his parents.
After graduating from Bowdoin College in Maine, he started his career as an assistant at the New York Times before moving to Russia in 2017.
He worked for the English-language Moscow Times and the French news agency Agence France-Presse, honing his Russian language skills and immersing himself in local culture.
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In January 2022, Gershkovich got his big break when The Wall Street Journal hired him. Just weeks into his role, Russia invaded Ukraine, and for the next 13 months, he reported on the war, the return of soldiers in body bags, and the Kremlin’s crackdown on dissent.
Gershkovich’s reporting often involved traveling to Moscow despite new laws imposing severe prison sentences for discrediting the armed forces or spreading false information.
He covered stories on Putin’s inner circle, the Wagner Group mercenary army, and Russia’s wartime economy.
On March 29, 2023, during a trip to Yekaterinburg, he was arrested by the FSB while dining at a restaurant.
The security service accused him of collecting information about Uralvagonzavod, a tank factory involved in the Ukraine war.
Gershkovich, The Wall Street Journal, and the White House all denied the espionage charges, with President Joe Biden calling his detention “totally illegal” and designating him as “wrongfully detained.”
Speculation about Gershkovich’s release grew over months, fueled by Putin’s hints at a possible deal.
In an interview with U.S. journalist Tucker Carlson aired on February 8, Putin suggested that Gershkovich might be sent back to the U.S., deeming his continued detention in Russia pointless. Nearly six months later, Gershkovich was on his way home.
Evan Gershkovich: From Dream Assignment to Prisoner Swap – The Harrowing Journey of an American Journalist in Russia
