The case of Wall Street Journal correspondent Evan Gershkovich, who on April 18, 2023, saw his appeal against investigative detention on spying charges turned down by a Russian court, has echoes of an earlier era. Not since the Cold War, the Kremlin noted, has an American journalist been charged with espionage in the former Soviet Union.
But as a longtime specialist on Russia’s legal system, I am aware that the charges levied against Gershkovich are a product of modern Russia – and that could have worrying consequences for the journalist.
