U.S. journalist Evan Gershkovich has released the first detailed excerpt from his forthcoming book, This Cursed Beautiful Land, describing the circumstances of his 2023 arrest in Russia. The account, published by the Wall Street Journal, claims the Federal Security Service (FSB) orchestrated a sting operation that led to his detention.
Planned meetings turned into a trap
According to Gershkovich, while researching a story on Russian military production for the Wall Street Journal, he met twice with a union leader at a factory in Yekaterinburg, a key defense‑industry hub. The second meeting took place in a steakhouse, where the source handed him hand‑copied tables of tank‑production figures. As Gershkovich took notes, masked men approached the table, and he was forced to hide the documents.
“A pang of guilt ripped through me: Had I compromised a source? But panic immediately replaced that thought,” he wrote. “The men quickly descended on us. An arm was yanking my neck, pulling me off the couch… Someone shouted: ‘You are under arrest by the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation.’”
Arrest, sentencing and eventual release
Gershkovich, then 31, became the first U.S. reporter charged with espionage in Russia since the Cold War. He was sentenced to 16 years in prison before being released in an East‑West prisoner swap in August 2024.
The journalist says his editors had warned him not to accept any documents from the source, but the source nonetheless thrust the papers into his hands. He also notes that foreign correspondents traditionally enjoyed a degree of immunity—expulsion was common, but arrest was rare.
FSB’s alleged backup plan
Gershkovich claims that after his release he learned the FSB had a “backup plan” to arrest him on a later trip to Siberia if the Yekaterinburg operation had failed. He believes the two meetings were designed to convince President Vladimir Putin that he was a spy, securing approval for the arrest.
“Putin, it seems to me, fully bought into this narrative,” Gershkovich wrote. The Kremlin has not commented on these allegations.
Official denials
Both President Putin and the Russian government have portrayed Gershkovich as having been caught “red‑handed” while collecting classified information. The journalist, his newspaper, and the U.S. government continue to deny any espionage activity.
Gershkovich’s account adds a personal perspective to the broader discussion of press freedom and the risks faced by foreign correspondents covering sensitive topics in authoritarian environments.
Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
