White House Says US Not Notified Ahead Of Time About Gershkovich's Arrest In Russia

Muhammad Irfan Published March 30, 2023 | 10:58 PM

White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said on Thursday that the United States was not notified ahead of time about the arrest of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich in Russia

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 30th March, 2023) White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said on Thursday that the United States was not notified ahead of time about the arrest of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich in Russia.

"I wouldn't say that we had some sort of a heads up or something, or indications that there was going to be some new move against American journalists in general," Kirby said during a conference call.

The White House was surprised to learn about Gershkovich's detention, but it is unclear now if his arrest is in retaliation to a separate matter.

Russia's Foreign Ministry said consular access has been granted to Gershkovich.

Earlier in the day, the Lefortovo District Court of Moscow told Sputnik that it has decided to arrest Gershkovich for two months over espionage suspicions.

The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) said that Gershkovich was detained in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg on suspicion of espionage for the United States. According to the FSB, Gershkovich collected classified information about the activities of one of Russia's military-industrial complex firms.