Russian Authorities Arrest Wall Street Journal Reporter in Yekaterinburg, Raising Tensions with the West

On Wednesday, Russian authorities arrested Evan Gershkovich, a 31-year-old Wall Street Journal reporter, in the city of Yekaterinburg. This arrest comes after a series of setbacks to Russia’s foreign intelligence operations, including the expulsion and charging of hundreds of suspected spies in Western countries.

John Sullivan, the former U.S. Ambassador to Moscow, told CBS News in an interview Thursday that Gershkovich is likely to face a sham, closed trial on espionage charges and endure tough treatment, similar to that of American detainee Paul Whelan. Sullivan did not speculate on Moscow’s motivation for the arrest.

Poland arrested nine Russians this month, accusing them of plotting possible sabotage of rail routes carrying Western military aid to Ukraine. Last week, U.S. authorities unmasked an alleged Russian spy who posed as a Brazilian graduate student at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and who prosecutors say tried to land a job at the International Criminal Court in The Hague.

Sullivan noted that Gershkovich is a reporter for a globally prominent news organization, and that his arrest is not random. He urged the international community to pay attention to the case and to take action to ensure Gershkovich is treated fairly.

The arrest of Gershkovich is the latest in a series of incidents that have raised tensions between Russia and the West. It remains to be seen how the international community will respond to the arrest and the treatment of Gershkovich.