Russian leader’s comments came in interview with former Fox News star Tucker Carlson
Russian leader Vladimir Putin said a prisoner exchange would probably lead to the release of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, but he declined to give a time frame for the deal and said Gershkovich was caught committing espionage in Russia.
Gershkovich has been detained since March 2023 on an espionage charge that he, the Journal and the U.S. government vehemently deny. In a two-hour interview with Tucker Carlson, Putin said a prisoner swap was being discussed between U.S. and Russian special services. Such talks have led to swaps in the past “and probably this is going to be crowned with success as well,” Putin said. “But we have to come to an agreement.”
Putin didn’t say who, specifically, Moscow was demanding in return for Gershkovich or other U.S. citizens now detained in Russia. But he made clear reference to Russian operative Vadim Krasikov, now serving a life sentence in Germany for gunning down a Chechen émigré in a Berlin park in 2019. Putin called Krasikov, whom he did not refer to by name, a Russian patriot.
When he was detained, Gershkovich was accredited by Russia’s Foreign Ministry to work as a journalist in Russia. The U.S. has designated Gershkovich as wrongfully detained, a status that commits it to working to secure his release. The U.S. has said Gershkovich isn’t a spy and has never worked for the government.
“We’re encouraged to see Russia’s desire for a deal that brings Evan home, and we hope this will lead to his rapid release and return to his family and our newsroom,” The Wall Street Journal said in a statement.
“Evan is a journalist, and journalism is not a crime. Any portrayal to the contrary is total fiction,” WSJ added. “Evan was unjustly arrested and has been wrongfully detained by Russia for nearly a year for doing his job, and we continue to demand his immediate release.”