![]() ![]() The Kremlin has said Gershkovich was carrying out espionage "under the cover" of journalism. President Joe Biden also called on Russia to release him. State Department on April 10 designated Gershkovich as "wrongfully detained" by Russia and called for his immediate release, as have international journalist organizations. Gershkovich is the first American journalist detained in Russia on espionage charges since the end of the Cold War. Seen as a symbol of Soviet repression, Lefortovo is where Russia holds most suspects in espionage cases. He was then placed in pretrial detention until at least May 29 in Moscow's Lefortovo prison, a notorious institution dating back to tsarist times. Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) said on March 30 it had detained Gershkovich in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg and had opened an espionage case against him for collecting what it said were state secrets about the military industrial complex. State Department has not commented on Russia's claim over the visa denials, saying it could not speak on specific visa requests because of privacy rules. Lavrov said Moscow "will not forgive" Washington for denying the visas. With relations between the two superpowers already around their worst since the end of the Cold War due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the situation worsened when reporters from Russia were not granted visas to cover Lavrov's visit to the UN, where he was chairing a Security Council meeting this week. Gershkovich, a reporter for The Wall Street Journal, was arrested in Russia in late March on allegations of espionage that he, his publication, and U.S. Ambassador to Russia Lynne Tracy said afterward that Gershkovich was "in good health and remains strong." Tracy also reiterated the U.S. was granted an initial consular visit with Gershkovich on April 17. Embassy did not immediately comment on the statement. side will be properly informed," the statement says. "At this point other possible retaliation measures are being worked out, of which the U.S. citizen Gershkovich, detained on charges of spying, has been rejected." ![]() Embassy in Moscow that "its request for a consular visit on May 11 this year with U.S. In a statement on April 27, Russia's Foreign Ministry said it had informed the U.S. Embassy request for a second consular visit with jailed journalist Evan Gershkovich, saying the move is in response to Washington's refusal to issue entry visas to Russian journalists who planned to accompany Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov during his trip to the United Nation's session in New York this week.
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