The last year has not been good for Russia, or for Vladimir Putin, in general. The invasion of Ukraine is at a stalemate. Russia has been largely alienated publicly, if not behind the scenes, except by China. The reports and rumors that the country is in turmoil keep coming.

How do you stop the reports and rumors of a country in disarray? Arrest the reporters! In this case, Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich.

Evan Gershkovich was detained in the city of Yekaterinburg while allegedly trying to obtain classified information, the Federal Security Service, known by the acronym FSB, said Thursday.”

The service, which is the top domestic security agency and main successor to the Soviet-era KGB, alleged that Gershkovich “was acting on instructions from the American side to collect information about the activities of one of the enterprises of the Russian military-industrial complex that constitutes a state secret.”

The Journal “vehemently denies the allegations from the FSB and seeks the immediate release of our trusted and dedicated reporter, Evan Gershkovich,” the newspaper said. “We stand in solidarity with Evan and his family.”

This seems to be the new tactic in Russia writ large, as anyone who is speaking out critically runs the risk of arrest and prison.

The sweeping campaign of repression is unprecedented since the Soviet era. Activists say it often means the very profession of journalism is criminalized, along with the activities of ordinary Russians who oppose the war.”

Earlier this week, a Russian court convicted a father over social media posts critical of the war and sentenced him to two years in prison. His 13-year-old daughter was sent to an orphanage.”

Gershkovich is the first American reporter to be arrested on espionage charges in Russia since September 1986, when Nicholas Daniloff, a Moscow correspondent for U.S. News and World Report, was arrested by the KGB. Daniloff was released without charge 20 days later in a swap for an employee of the Soviet Union’s United Nations mission who was arrested by the FBI, also on spying charges.”

At a hearing Thursday, a Moscow court quickly ruled that Gershkovich would be kept behind bars pending the investigation.”

Gershkovich is an American citizen whose parents apparently immigrated from the Soviet Union when he was a child, and reportedly speaks Russian fluently, having worked for both Agence France-Presse and The Moscow Times in the past.

So, why arrest this one reporter? Well, seeing as we can’t exactly trust what Russia is saying, let’s look at what Gershkovich’s own reporting was saying.

Gershkovich’s detainment follows the publication of “Russia’s Economy Is Starting to Come Undone,” an article he co-authored with Georgi Katnchev. The two explored Russia’s economic struggles and isolation since the Ukraine war started and the long-lasting impacts they will likely have.”

“As the war continues into its second year and Western sanctions bite harder, Russia’s government revenue is being squeezed, and its economy has shifted to a lower-growth trajectory, likely for the long term,” the article states. “The country’s biggest exports, gas, and oil, have lost major customers. Government finances are strained. The ruble is down over 20 percent since November against the dollar. The labor force has shrunk as young people are sent to the front or flee the country over fears of being drafted. Uncertainty has curbed business investment.”

The report notes that Russia has been leaning increasingly on its economic relationship with China while being cut off from other international markets. With the hits Russia has taken to its energy revenue, it is now a question of how long the Russians can keep their economy afloat before it reaches the breaking point.”

And it seems that the Wagner Group – which Kim covered here – had some not-at-all chilling things to say about Gershkovich’s arrest.

The Daily Beast reached out to Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of the Wagner Group, asking him to comments on reports that Gershkovich was taken into custody after writing about the paramilitary organization that has been leading the fight to capture the key city of Bakhmut in Ukraine.”

Prigozhin, Putin’s longtime ally, issued a deeply sarcastic response openly poking fun at the inquiry.”

“I am not aware of Evan Gershkovich’s detention in Yekaterinburg,” the mercenary boss wrote in a reply he shared on his Telegram channel. “If you want, I could check the torture cellar in my house — to see if he’s there.”

Prigozhin continued in the same derisive vein, writing: “Among the American journalists, scores of whom I am keeping in there, I have not spotted him.”

“I could, if you want, check the freshly dug graves of foreign journalists on the property outside my home. But if I’m not mistaken, we had not buried him there.”

There is a reason that American citizens were advised to get the hell out of Russia, and they are saying it again today.

JUST IN – U.S. citizens residing or traveling in Russia should depart immediately — State Dept

— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) March 30, 2023

Putin is not a reasonable person, and chatter has already begun about who could potentially be swapped in any prisoner exchange for Evan Gershkovich – as if Russia would allow that to happen before a show trial and conviction for espionage. But we can’t keep doing this. Releasing “the Merchant of Death” was bad enough. We can’t be in the business of exchanging Russian bad guys for American hostages. How is this not a hostage situation? All Russia had to do was grab an American citizen who had permission to work as a journalist inside the country, and claim “spying” when his reporting was not favorable to them. That was a risk that Gershkovich chose to take. I understand the impulse of journalists to be as near to the center of a story as possible in order to provide accurate information. But we are talking about LONG prison sentences. This is no slap on the wrist.

Reporters face up to 15 years in prison if they report what authorities deem as false reports about the military, according to a new Russian law. The legislation was passed by both chambers of the Russian parliament.”

Some outlets like BBC News have suspended reporting from within the country due to the law, citing safety concerns.”

A Russian reporter was given a six-year prison sentence after the Kremlin-controlled parliament approved legislation last year that outlawed the spread of “false information” about the country’s military campaign in Ukraine.”

Couple “false reports about the military” along with a charge of espionage, and Evan Gershkovich could be looking at decades in a Russian prison. And there is zero chance that Joe Biden or the State Department could even attempt to get him out there before the inevitable conviction. One can appreciate the willingness to stay behind and cover a story, but also point out that there is a significant risk involved in doing so. What we are seeing right now is the risk.

Evan Gershkovich wrote something that Russian authorities didn’t like, so they arrested him. Plain and simple. The espionage charge is being slapped on – with zero evidence provided – in order to justify the arrest. What does Russia want? Control. Control of the narrative, control of Ukraine, control of Eastern Europe – take your pick. Anyone who opposes Putin is either arrested or falls out a window.

American citizenship is no longer a shield of protection internationally. This is a problem when you have a weak president who inspires no respect abroad. The Biden administration has zero political will and no motivation (he’s not intersectional like Brittany Griner, after all) to try and help him. Evan Gershkovich, sadly, is just the next American hostage being used as a bargaining chip for whatever Russia wants now, and he will end up suffering for it.

Featured image via opsa on Pixabay, cropped, Pixabay license