Gershkovich Case: Journalists, Surveillance, and Calls to Leave Russia

Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, detained in Russia on espionage suspicions, was reportedly tailed by Russian intelligence officers who believed his phone could be tapped. Reports from the Wall Street Journal indicate that Gershkovich was accompanied by several security guards, some of whom recorded their movements and urged sources not to talk to him. Additional accounts say he was followed during a trip to Pskov by unidentified individuals. White House spokesperson John Kirby, who previously led strategic communications for the National Security Council, stressed that all Americans, including journalists, should leave Russia. Kirby noted that U.S. citizens traveling in Russia, regardless of purpose, should depart the country’s territory.