US ambassador meets in Moscow prison with detained journalist

U.S. Ambassador to Russia Lynne Tracy met in Moscow on Monday with detained Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, the State Department said.

Tracy's visit with Gershovich, who has been detained in Russia since March at Lefortovo prison in Moscow was the first time embassy officials were granted consular access since April, a State Department spokesperson told The Hill.

"Ambassador Tracy reports that Mr. Gershkovich is in good health and remains strong, despite his circumstances. U.S. Embassy officials will continue to provide all appropriate support to Mr. Gershkovich and his family, and we expect Russian authorities to provide continued consular access," the spokesperson said.

Gershkovich, a 31-year-old U.S. citizen, was arrested earlier this year in Yekaterinburg on espionage charges, accused by Russia’s Federal Security Service of trying to obtain classified information. He's now detained while awaiting trial.

Russian state-run media outlet TASS also reported on Monday that Tracy was granted access to Gershkovich.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said at a Council on Foreign Relations event last week that the U.S. has been pushing for consular access “from day one.”

"We of course from day one have sought consular access. We’ve had some initial access to him. That’s been denied more recently. It’s something we continue to look for virtually every day," Blinken said.

"At the same time, we are continuing to explore ways to bring him home – Paul Whelan as well – and many other Americans who are being detained in different parts of the world in an arbitrary fashion. We’ve brought a lot of Americans home over the last two and a half years, but more to be done. And Evan is front and center in our thinking."

Former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan has been detained in Russia since 2018 on charges of espionage, which he denies.

In a prisoner exchange last year, Moscow and Washington swapped Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout for American basketball star Brittney Griner, who had been imprisoned for months on drug possession charges. The exchange did not include Whelan. 

U.S. officials have decried Gershkovich’s detainment, arguing he was targeted for his work as a journalist. President Biden has said “it’s totally illegal what’s happening.”

State Department principal deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel said last month that the U.S. continues “to feel that this whole legal process as it relates to Evan is a sham.”