Evan Gershkovich Details Russian Arrest, Near-Breaking Moment in Prison

Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich has detailed the moments leading up to his arrest in Russia, describing it as a setup and recounting a period in prison that he said nearly broke him. Gershkovich, who was detained for over a year before being freed in a prisoner swap in August 2024, shared his experiences in an interview with "Fox & Friends" and in his new book, "This Cursed Beautiful Land."

Gershkovich explained that he and a colleague were reporting on Russia's economic shift towards a military footing when he met with a source. He stated that this source, with whom they had interacted for four years, turned out to be part of a setup.

"At that moment, when you hear FSB, you understand that, as I write, it's not a misunderstanding," Gershkovich said, referring to Russia's federal security service. "When it's the FSB, you understand it's a high-level planned operation. And I'm taken out in a hood to a van, asked who I work for, I say the Wall Street Journal, the hood comes back on, my midsection is pummeled by the security agents, hood comes back off, they ask who I work for, and that's when it dawns on me, that OK they're accusing me of espionage."

He was formally charged with espionage, a claim vehemently denied by The Wall Street Journal and the U.S. government, which declared him "wrongfully detained." Gershkovich was arrested on March 29, 2023, in Yekaterinburg and later convicted in a closed court of "gathering secret information," receiving a 16-year sentence.

The journalist described a moment during his detention that was particularly harrowing. While in prison during the winter, he learned of a potential prisoner exchange that would involve himself, former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, and opposition leader Alexei Navalny being released in exchange for FSB assassin Vadim Krasikov returning to Russia. However, this prospect dimmed when he heard on the radio that Navalny had been killed.

"I'm out on a walk, it's February. It's really cold. We usually get to listen to a news station called Relax FM. We listen to music. Suddenly the radio station changes. It switches to the news station and it's announced that Alexei Navalny has been killed. At that moment, it's really bleak for me. I think, 'Okay, there's no way I'm getting home now,'" Gershkovich recounted.

Gershkovich, along with Whelan, was eventually freed in August 2024 as part of a large-scale multinational prisoner swap.