The indictment of Evan Gershkovich is more evidence of what Putin has been up to

The FSB investigation finds Gershkovich guilty of espionage in Yekaterinburg and will announce its appeal to the Russian court

An accomplished and widely respected journalist, Mr. Gershkovich was seized by the FSB, the Russian successor to the Soviet KGB, in Yekaterinburg on March 29 and has been accused — with no evidence provided — of espionage, a grave charge that carries a prison term of up to 20 years. It was last known to be used against an American reporter in the Soviet era, in 1986, when Nicholas Daniloff of U.S. News & World Report was arrested and accused of the same charge, which he denied, only to be swapped within weeks for an employee of the Soviet mission to the United Nations.

CNN reported on Tuesday that the Biden administration is ready to officially declare that Gershkovich is wrongfully held in Russia, in a move that will ramp up US government resources to try and get him released.

“The FSB investigation charged Gershkovich with espionage in the interests of his country. He categorically denied all accusations and stated that he was engaged in journalistic activities in Russia,” an agency representative said, according to state news agency TASS.

A Moscow court on April 18 will hear an appeal filed by Gershkovich’s lawyers against his arrest, Russian state media said citing the court. The correspondent is being held at the Leftereovo pre-detention center.

“In my own mind, there’s no doubt that he’s being wrongfully detained by Russia, which is exactly what I said to Foreign Minister Lavrov when I spoke to him over the weekend,” Blinken said during a press conference in Brussels. I want to make sure that it is done correctly, because there’s a formal process that has to be completed, and I expect that to be done soon.