Evan Gershkovich Recounts Russian Trap and Jail

Former Wall Street Journal Moscow correspondent Evan Gershkovich has opened up about the day he was detained by Russian security agents, stating that he immediately recognized he was being set up and lured into a trap.

The incident took place in Yekaterinburg, located roughly 1,600 kilometers east of Moscow, where Gershkovich had traveled to meet someone he believed was a news source. Upon arrival, his contact vanished into the crowd moments before notorious FSB domestic security agents stepped forward to place him under arrest on espionage charges.

Gershkovich, now 34 and based in Berlin, Germany, had lived in Russia since 2017. Both he and his employer consistently maintained his complete innocence, despite a court later handing down a harsh 16-year prison sentence.

While confined inside Moscow's notorious Lefortovo prison, Gershkovich noted that he was never subjected to the interrogation or torture typically used against spies by Russian security services. This realization led him to conclude he was being treated more like a commodity than a genuine state enemy, a mindset that kept him stable and disciplined while accurately anticipating a potential prisoner swap.

Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event

"They [Moscow] got away with it in the sense that there were no sanctions imposed. And so they played it really smart, if you think about it cynically."

Evan Gershkovich

The Kremlin's strategy ultimately centered on securing Vadim Krasikov, an assassin serving a life sentence in Germany. Fueled by global media campaigns, Times Square billboards, and intense lobbying by then-US President Joe Biden, the high-stakes prisoner exchange deal was successfully finalized.