Evan Gershkovich, American journalist detained in Russia, is in "good health"

Evan Gershkovich is in “good health”, according to the US Ambassador to Russia. She was allowed on Monday to visit the American journalist arrested in late March in prison.

Lynne Tracy went to Moscow’s Lefortovo prison, the US State Department said. This is only their second meeting since the arrest of the journalist during a report in Yekaterinburg (Urals) on March 29.

Russian authorities have repeatedly refused to grant a consular visit to Evan Gershkovich, the subject of “espionage” charges which he denies.

“Ambassador Tracy has communicated that Gershkovich is in good health and remains strong, despite the circumstances,” a State Department spokesperson said.

Evan Gershkovich, who worked for AFP, is the first foreign journalist arrested in Russia for espionage since the fall of the Soviet Union.

His arrest comes in the context of serious diplomatic tensions between the United States and Russia caused by the conflict in Ukraine, where Washington supports kyiv militarily and financially against Moscow.

The United States and Evan Gershkovich’s employer, the Wall Street Journal, agree with him against accusations of “espionage” made by Russian authorities. They accuse Moscow of attacking him because of his work as a journalist.

The State Department has indicated that it will continue to press for Evan Gershkovich’s release and will seek regular consular access in the meantime. Russia said it denied such access in response to the US refusal to issue visas to some Russian journalists in April.

Last week, the head of the American diplomacy, Antony Blinken, expressed concern about this lack of access to Evan Gershkovich and assured that the United States was pushing “virtually every day” to remedy it.

“At the same time, we continue to look for ways to bring him home,” as did Paul Whelan, a former Marine Corps non-commissioned officer who has been incarcerated for four years, Blinken added. Ambassador Tracy hasn’t seen Paul Whelan since May.

A Moscow court denied Evan Gershkovich’s request for release on June 22. Lynne Tracy, who attended the hearing, said the United States was “extremely disappointed”.

Washington has sharply reduced high-level contacts with Moscow since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, but made exceptions to arrange two prisoner exchanges.

In December, American basketball player Brittney Griner, arrested in Russia on cannabis trafficking charges, was freed against Viktor Bout, a Russian arms dealer held prisoner in the United States.