Putin personally approved the arrest of WSJ correspondent Evan Gershkovich – media

The detention of Gershkovich drew angry condemnation from the United States and its allies and marked another setback in US-Russian relations.

Russian President Vladimir Putin personally approved the arrest of WSJ journalist Evan Gershkovich, whom Russia has accused of espionage. On Wednesday, April 12, Bloomberg wrote, citing sources.

“The initiative to detain the journalist came from senior officials of the Russian special services, and Putin made the final decision,” his sources told the publication.

According to sources, this decision indicates that there are more and more hardliners in the Kremlin aiming to confront the United States.

“Hershkovich’s detention drew angry condemnation from the US and its allies and marked another setback in US-Russian relations, which have deteriorated since Putin’s invasion of Ukraine,” Bloomberg wrote.

The head of the Center for European Policy Analysis in Washington, Alina Polyakova, told the agency that this event was a “wake-up call” not only for the United States, but for the entire West.

“This indicates that, in Putin’s opinion, there is no return to a stable and reliable relationship,” Polyakova said.

Bloomberg writes that Russia may want to replace the journalist for Vladislav Klyushin, who was found guilty in the United States of breaching the company’s computer networks and insider trading worth tens of millions of dollars. According to the publication, Russia has previously insisted on including Klyushin in previous prisoner exchanges.

Remember, on March 30, in Russia, security forces detained a US citizen, a journalist for The Wall Street Journal, Evan Gershkovich. The FSB accused him of “spying on a Russian military-industrial complex enterprise.” The court remanded the journalist in custody until May 29.

news Correspondent.net on Telegram. Subscribe to our channel Athletistic