Support The Moscow Times!

Kremlin Denies Interview Request From Freed WSJ Reporter Gershkovich

The Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich. U.S. Air Force

The Kremlin said Monday that it would not grant an interview with President Vladimir Putin to Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was released by Russia this summer in a prisoner swap.

Gershkovich made a handwritten request to interview Putin while filling out a form requesting a presidential pardon ahead of the prisoner exchange, the Journal reported.

"So far we are not interested in such an interview. For there to be an interview with foreign media and some specific one, we need to have an occasion," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

"So far we don't see such an occasion," he said.

Gershkovich was one of 16 people freed by Russia in August's landmark prisoner swap with the West.

The 32-year-old spent more than 16 months in Russian detention on espionage charges that he, his employer and the White House denounced as false.

The Kremlin has repeatedly rebuffed calls for a Western journalist to question Putin, granting only one such interview, to the controversial U.S. talk show host Tucker Carlson in February.

Gershkovich, a respected Moscow correspondent, was arrested on a reporting trip in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg in March 2023.

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysiss and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more