Kremlin: There is no reason to expel Russian journalists from the US

There is no reason to expel Russian journalists from the United States; it would be absurd and wrong to restrict the rights of conscientious professionals. This was stated by the press secretary of the President of Russia Dmitry Peskov, commenting on the call of the American newspaper The Wall Street Journal to expel all Russian journalists and the ambassador working in the country from the United States.

On March 30, the publication’s correspondent Evan Gershkovich was detained by the FSB in Yekaterinburg on suspicion of espionage.

According to Peskov, all foreign journalists in Russia can and continue to work without facing any restrictions. In the case of Gershkovich, it is not about journalism, but about “espionage activities in essence.”

“In this regard, to demand the expulsion of all Russian journalists, the newspaper can do this, but this should not be, and there is simply no reason for this here. If there are any violations of the law, there are some going beyond the scope of activities provided for by law, yes, but in this case, restricting the rights of conscientious journalists would be absurd and wrong,” Peskov said.

The Kremlin spokesman was also again asked to clarify what he meant by the “red-handed” detention of Gerkovich.

“We do not have detailed information, of course, it is of a closed nature, the Federal Security Service is engaged in this,” Peskov replied.

On March 30, The Wall Street Journal correspondent Evan Gershkovich was detained by the FSB in Yekaterinburg on suspicion of espionage. According to the intelligence service, the journalist collected secret information “about the activities of one of the enterprises of the Russian military-industrial complex.” Later Lefortovo Court of Moscow arrested journalist until May 29.

After that, the WSJ denied the FSB accusations and demanded the immediate release of Gershkovich. The newspaper clarified that the journalist works in the Moscow bureau of The Wall Street Journal and covers events in Russia. Later, the editors of the newspaper said that the administration of US President Joe Biden would have to “consider the possibility of diplomatic and political escalation,” transmitted “RIA News”. The expulsion of the Russian ambassador and working Russian journalists from the United States was called “the minimum you can count on.”

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova statedthat Gershkovich’s activities in Yekaterinburg have nothing to do with journalism. According to her, this is not the first time that the status of a “foreign correspondent”, accreditation and a journalistic visa are used in Russia by foreigners to cover up activities that are not journalism.