The US ambassador to Russia discussed the arrest of Evan Hershkovich at the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
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US Ambassador to Moscow Lynn Tracy met with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov to discuss the situation surrounding The Wall Street Journal journalist Evan Hershkovich. Last week, he was arrested on espionage charges.
As reported by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at a meeting with the American diplomat, Ryabkov emphasized the serious nature of the charges brought against the journalist.
The details of the meeting are not disclosed. The American side has not yet commented on it.
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken on Sunday called on Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to immediately release Hershkovich and the second American in Russian prison, Paul Whelan.
Hershkovich was detained in Yekaterinburg on March 30. On the same day, the court in Moscow arrested the journalist until May 29.
The Russian investigation claims that the journalist collected secret information on one of the enterprises of the Russian military-industrial complex at the behest of the United States. The details of the accusation are not provided. According to the charge, Hershkovich faces up to 20 years in prison.
The head of the US National Security Council, John Kirby, previously emphasized that the American authorities are making every effort to release the Wall Street Journal correspondent from the moment it became known about his detention. At the same time, it was noted that employees of the US Embassy in Russia still do not have consular access to Hershkovich. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia claimed that American diplomats had access to the arrested journalist.
On April 4, Hershkovych managed to meet with a lawyer for the first time.
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