Russia arrests Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich on espionage charges

In a statement, the Federal Security Service (FSB) said Evan Gershkovich was detained in the Ural Mountains city of Yekaterinburg on suspicion of "espionage in the interests of the American government".

In a recent development, Russian authorities on Thursday (March 30) said they had arrested a US journalist with The Wall Street Journal on spying charges. 

In a statement, the Federal Security Service (FSB) said Evan Gershkovich was detained in the Ural Mountains city of Yekaterinburg on suspicion of "espionage in the interests of the American government".

The FSB accused Gershkovich of collecting "information constituting a state secret about the activities of one of the enterprises of the Russian military-industrial complex."

However, it did not provide any evidence or further details on when Gershkovich was arrested. If convicted, he could face up to 20 years in prison. Kremlin spokesman Dimtry Peskov told a news briefing that Gershkovich had been "caught red handed".

"We are not talking about suspicions, but about the fact that he was detained red-handed," Peskov said, adding that the arrest was up to the FSB.

Meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal released a statement and said, "Vehemently denies the allegations from the FSB and seeks the immediate release of our trusted and dedicated reporter. We stand in solidarity with Evan and his family."