'I was lured into a trap': Evan Gershkovich on moment that led to 16 months in Russian jail

What the report says

BBC World News reports that Evan Gershkovich, the Wall Street Journal correspondent arrested in Russia in 2023 on espionage allegations, has described the moment he realised he had likely been set up by the FSB. In an interview with BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, he said masked men entered a restaurant in Yekaterinburg where he thought he was meeting a source, then detained him. He said the fact that he was not interrogated or tortured made him think he was being held as leverage rather than as a genuine spy suspect.

Gershkovich, now 34, was sentenced to 16 years in prison before being freed after 16 months in a high-profile prisoner swap on 1 August 2024. The BBC says he and the Wall Street Journal have consistently denied the charges. The article also notes that he lived in Russia from 2017 and was based in Moscow before his arrest, while he is now based in Berlin.

According to the BBC, Gershkovich was held in Lefortovo jail in Moscow and later learned a swap might be coming weeks in advance. He said the eventual release brought joy, but also a difficult return to normal life, including sleep problems and panic attacks. The interview adds context to a case that drew wide international attention and became part of a broader exchange between Russia and the West.