Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was detained by Russia for more than a year before being freed in a massive prisoner swap in 2024, spoke to "Fox & Friends" about his arrest in Russia.
asserted
who → detain → Russia
Gershkovich discussed his new book, "This Cursed Beautiful Land," a firsthand account of the ordeal.
asserted
Gershkovich → discuss → ordeal
"I and a colleague of mine were reporting on basically how Russia was prepping to defend.
asserted
Russia → report → mine
They were changing their economy to a military footing, and I was meeting with a source of a colleague of mine who we thought was legitimate.
asserted
we → change → mine
We had been speaking to him for four years at that point and it turned out it was a setup," Gershkovich told "Fox & Friends," describing how he ended up being wrongfully detained.
asserted
he → speak → Fox
Host Brian Kilmeade pointed to an excerpt in the book that described Gershkovich's realization that the men arresting him were from the FSB, the successor to the Soviet-era KGB, and not just police.
asserted
men → point → KGB
"At that moment, when you hear FSB, you understand that, as I write, it's not a misunderstanding," Gershkovich said.
asserted
Gershkovich → hear → FSB
"When it's the FSB, you understand it's a high-level planned operation.
asserted
it → understand → ?
And I'm taken out in a hood to a van, asked who I work for, I say the Wall Street Journal, the hood comes back on, my midsection is pummeled by the security agents, hood comes back off, they ask who I work for, and that's when it dawns on me, that OK they're accusing me of espionage."
He said he was "obviously" scared at that point, and said, "When I get to the station, they just calmly hand me my charges and they tell me I'm accused of espionage," Gershkovich said.
asserted
Gershkovich → take → espionage
"And there's also this moment that obviously the, the source, Pavel, stepping away out into the crowd.
asserted
source → be → crowd
At that point I realized, oh, this was a setup and this was a setup for a swap, clearly," he continued.
asserted
he → realize → swap
Gershkovich, 34, was arrested on March 29, 2023, while reporting on a trip to the Ural Mountains city of Yekaterinburg and accused of espionage.
asserted
Gershkovich → arrest → espionage
The Biden administration declared him "wrongfully detained" and The Wall Street Journal and U.S. government both emphatically denied the charge, which was widely condemned as a thinly disguised effort to take the reporter hostage.
asserted
which → declare → reporter
After more than a year of delays, he was convicted in 2024 in a closed court of "gathering secret information" and sentenced to 16 years at a penal colony.
asserted
he → convict → colony
Wall Street Journal leaders blasted the "sham conviction" and repeatedly called for his immediate release while his friends, family and the journalism community worked to keep his name in the spotlight.
asserted
friends → blast → spotlight
Kilmeade asked Gershkovich on Thursday to describe the moment that almost broke him while in Russian prison.
asserted
that → ask → prison
He said he could see what the Biden administration was trying to do to bring him home through a potential prisoner exchange involving the U.S., Russia and Germany.
uncertain
administration → say → U.S.
"It's around the winter where a deal is starting to come together where Paul Whelan, who was also arrested on espionage charges in Russia, and myself are going to be traded for, or a deal would be put to the Russians for myself and Paul Whelan and the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny to be released from Russia, and Vadim Krasikov, the FSB assassin who had been arrested in Germany and was convicted to life in prison there, would be going back to Russia," Gershkovich said.
asserted
Gershkovich → start → Russia
However, he said that while he was out on a walk, he heard on the radio that Navalny had been killed.
asserted
Navalny → say → radio
We usually get to listen to a news station called Relax FM.
asserted
We → get → station
We listen to music.
asserted
We → listen → music
Suddenly the radio station changes.
asserted
station → change → ?
It switches to the news station and it's announced that Alexei Navalny has been killed.
asserted
Navalny → switch → station
I think, 'Okay, there's no way I'm getting home now,'" he said.
asserted
he → think → ?
Gershkovich, along with former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, was finally freed as part of a massive multinational prisoner swap in August 2024.
asserted
Gershkovich → free → August
Fox News' Brian Flood contributed to this report.
asserted
Flood → contribute → report
The Aporia
