Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was held in Russian custody for more than a year before his release in a prisoner swap in August 2024, described the specific moment during his detention that nearly broke him. Speaking on "Fox & Friends" to discuss his new book, "This Cursed Beautiful Land," Gershkovich detailed the psychological toll of his wrongful imprisonment and the circumstances leading to his arrest.
Gershkovich, 34, was arrested on March 29, 2023, in Yekaterinburg, a city in Russia's Ural Mountains. He stated that he and a colleague were reporting on how Russia was shifting its economy to a military footing. While meeting with a source they believed to be legitimate after four years of contact, Gershkovich realized the encounter was a setup. He noted that when he heard the arresting agents identify themselves as belonging to the FSB, the successor to the Soviet-era KGB, he understood it was a high-level planned operation rather than a misunderstanding. The agents hooded him, asked who he worked for, and physically assaulted him before informing him of espionage charges.
The Biden administration declared Gershkovich "wrongfully detained," and both The Wall Street Journal and the U.S. government denied the espionage charge, which was widely condemned as an effort to take the reporter hostage. After more than a year of delays, Gershkovich was convicted in a closed court in 2024 of "gathering secret information" and sentenced to 16 years at a penal colony. Journalists and family members campaigned for his release during this period.
During his interview, host Brian Kilmeade asked Gershkovich to identify the moment that almost broke him while in prison. Gershkovich explained that he was aware of negotiations involving the U.S., Russia, and Germany for a potential prisoner exchange. The proposed deal involved trading Gershkovich and Paul Whelan, a former U.S. Marine also accused of espionage in Russia, for the release of late opposition leader Alexei Navalny from Russia and the return of Vadim Krasikov, an FSB assassin convicted of life in prison in Germany.
Gershkovich described being on a walk in February when the radio station he was listening to switched from music to news. He heard an announcement that Alexei Navalny had been killed. At that moment, Gershkovich said he felt it was bleak and believed there was no way he would be getting home. Despite this setback, Gershkovich and Whelan were eventually freed as part of a massive multinational prisoner swap in August 2024.