The White House condemned the Russian detainment of an American journalist Thursday, calling the action “unacceptable.”
The Russian government detained Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reporter Evan Gershkovich on Thursday on allegations of espionage. Russia’s main security agency, the Federal Security Bureau (FSB), claimed the U.S. citizen “collected information constituting a state secret about the activities of one of the enterprises of the Russian military-industrial complex,” the WSJ reported.
“The targeting of American citizens by the Russian government is unacceptable. We condemn the detention of Mr. Gershkovich in the strongest terms,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement. (RELATED: Russia Imprisons WSJ Reporter On Spying Allegations)
The Biden administration has spoken with the WSJ, Gershkovich’s family and the Russian government about the detainment, she added.
It remains unclear if the detainment was due to retaliation against the U.S. or Gershkovich’s reporting, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters.
Breaking: Russia’s main security agency said it had detained Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, a U.S. citizen, for what it described as espionage https://t.co/5mr3h7uroZ
— The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) March 30, 2023
The White House also directed Americans to leave Russia “immediately” — an instruction the State Department has made repeatedly.
The Journal denied Russia’s claims that Gershkovich was engaged in “illegal activities.”
“The Wall Street Journal vehemently denies the allegations from the FSB and seeks the immediate release of our trusted and dedicated reporter, Evan Gershkovich,” the WSJ said. “We stand in solidarity with Evan and his family.”