Russia Laughably Claims Video of Gershkovich Arrest Proves He Was a Spy

Russia released a slew of clips and recordings the Kremlin claims is proof the recently released Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich was working as a U.S. spy.

Those claims don’t appear to align with what Gershkovich is seen doing in the footage, however, with him appearing to act as any journalist would while reporting on sensitive topics in a foreign nation.

Among the clips rolled out was a recorded call between Gershkovich and a source who the reporter promised to keep anonymous if he were to show him classified documents. Russian officials suggested that the request was nefarious, despite being a common practice among journalists.

Other footage broadcasted by Russia Today, a Russian propaganda outlet that’s been banned in countries such as the U.K. and Germany, showed Gershkovich meeting a source in March 2023 before he was confronted by plain-clothed FSB intelligence officers who briefly placed him in a headlock as they placed him in handcuffs. Gershkovich had been reporting on the infamous, Russia-based mercenaries known as the Wagner Group at the time of his arrest.

That clip also showed Gershkovich, now 32, attempt to hide a USB stick that had data on it as authorities closed in. Russian media claimed Monday that was proof that he was working as a spy for the CIA and not as a journalist, though the Kremlin did not specify what was on the flash drive.

Gershkovich was among 16 political prisoners who were released after Washington and Moscow cut a deal that saw Russian spies be freed from U.S. custody on Thursday.

Among the Americans returned stateside this weekend was former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, 54, who’s also been painted as being an American spy in recent days on Russia Today.

The Telegraph reported that Murat Gazdiev, a journalist who’s often regarded as a Kremlin mouthpiece, said in a RT broadcast on Monday that “villains” have become “heroes” in a reference to Whelan and Gershkovich.

“They were spies engaged in espionage and caught red handed,” Gazdiev reportedly claimed. “A story as old as time painted thick with lies, and denials, and make-believe.”