World

Russia arrests Wall Street Journal reporter, a Bowdoin graduate, on espionage charge

Maine Public | By Carol Bousquet

Published March 30, 2023 at 5:11 PM EDT

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Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich is escorted by officers from the Lefortovsky court to a bus, in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, March 30, 2023. Russia's top security agency says an American reporter for the Wall Street Journal has been arrested on espionage charges. The Federal Security Service said Thursday that Evan Gershkovich was detained in the Ural Mountains city of Yekaterinburg while allegedly trying to obtain classified information.

The Wall Street Journal reporter who's been detained by Russian authorities for alleged espionage is a graduate of Bowdoin College.

Evan Gershkovich was traveling in Yekaterinburg, Russia when he was taken into custody and brought to Moscow. The Wall Street Journal condemns the accusations and is demanding Gershkovich's release.

Bowdoin President Clayton Rose issued a statement saying, "We are deeply concerned about Evan's safety... We very much hope for a speedy resolution to this situation and that he and his family are reunited soon."

Gershkovich, who graduated from Bowdoin in 2014, is the first American reporter to be arrested on espionage charges in Russia since the mid 1980's. At a hearing Thursday, a Moscow court ruled to keep Gershkovich behind bars until late May pending the investigation.