Vladimir Putin says 617,000 Russian soldiers, including 244,000 mobilized, are fighting on the front

2023-12-14 13:18:12

Vladimir Putin says he “hopes” for an agreement with the United States regarding Americans detained in Russia, while Russian justice keeps Evan Gershkovich in detention

During his annual press conference, Vladimir Putin discussed a deal with the United States over Americans detained in Russia, including journalist Evan Gershkovich and former Marine Paul Whelan. “We want to reach an agreement. And these agreements must be mutually acceptable and agreeable to both partiesdid he declare. We are in contact with our American partners on this subject. (…) It’s not easy, but overall I think we understand each other. I hope we find a solution. »

Earlier today, a Russian court rejected the appeal of Evan Gershkovich, who was arrested in March 2023. “The Moscow City Court upheld the judgment of the Lefortovo District Court of Moscow dated November 28. (…) Evan Gershkovich will remain in detention until January 30, 2024 »informed the court services, cited by the Russian agencies. The 32-year-old American journalist appealed against the extension of his detention until the end of January.

Journalist at Wall Street Journal, this respected reporter was arrested by Russian security services while reporting in Yekaterinburg, in the Urals, on March 29. Since then, he has been detained in Lefortovo prison in Moscow. Evan Gershkovich, who also worked for Agence France-Presse in Moscow, is accused of espionage, a crime punishable by twenty years in prison; he rejects these accusations, as do Washington, his newspaper, his friends and his family. Russia has never substantiated its accusations or publicly provided evidence, and the entire procedure has been classified secret. No date for his trial has been set at this time.

In recent years, several American citizens have been arrested and sentenced to heavy sentences in Russia, with Washington accusing Moscow of wanting to exchange them for Russians detained in the United States. In October, Russian-American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva, working for the media outlet Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, was arrested on charges of failing to register as a“foreign agent”. She is now also being prosecuted for broadcasting ” fake news “ on the Russian army.