Blinken calls for immediate release of two detained Americans in Russia

Secretary of State Antony Blinken has urged his Russian counterpart to immediately release a Wall Street Journal reporter who was detained last week as well as another imprisoned American, Paul Whelan, the State Department said.

In a phone call on Sunday with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Blinken conveyed “grave concern” over the Kremlin's detention of journalist Evan Gershkovich on espionage allegations, according to a State Department summary of the call. 

Blinken called for the immediate release of Gershkovich as well as Whelan, who the statement said was wrongfully detained and is currently serving a 16-year sentence.

Whelan, a Michigan corporate security executive, has been imprisoned in Russia since December 2018 on espionage charges that his family and the US government have said are baseless. 

Blinken and Lavrov also discussed “the importance of creating an environment that permits diplomatic missions to carry out their work,” according to the State Department.

READ MORE: Wall Street Journal reporter detained in Russia on espionage charges

Politicising journalist’s detention

The FSB, Russia's top security agency and successor to the KGB, said Gershkovich was collecting information on an enterprise of the military-industrial complex. 

Russian authorities detained him last week, the first time a US correspondent has been held on spying accusations since the Cold War.

In its summary of the call, Russia’s foreign ministry said Lavrov “drew Blinken’s attention to the need to respect the decisions of the Russian authorities" about Gershkovich, whom Moscow claims “was caught red-handed.”

The Journal has adamantly denied the allegations and demanded his release. President Joe Biden told reporters on Friday that his message to Russia was “let him go.”

The Kremlin said Lavrov also told Blinken it was unacceptable for US officials and Western news media to continue “whipping up excitement” and politicising the journalist’s detention. "His further fate will be determined by the court.”

Campaign for Gershkovich's release 

More than 30 news organisations and press freedom advocates have written the Russian ambassador in the United States to express concern Russia is sending the message that reporting inside the country is criminalised.

And on Saturday night, basketball star Brittney Griner, who was detained for 10 months by Russian authorities before being released in a prisoner swap for convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, issued a statement calling for the release of the 31-year-old Gershkovich.

“Every American who is taken is ours to fight for and every American returned is a win for us all,” Griner said in a statement posted on Instagram.

READ MORE: Moscow frees US basketball star Griner in swap with Russian arms dealer