Putin Reiterates False Claims Against Detained Americans in Russia

Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, reiterated past false claims regarding the detention of two American citizens named Paul Whelan and Evan Gershkovich. In his annual press conference, when asked why they are not being sent home, he responded with a question: "Why didn’t they try not to commit a legal violation on Russian territory?" The claim that Whelan and Gershkovich were detained for legal violations and committing crimes in Russia is false. The Russian Prosecutor's Office has accused the two of espionage but has never provided evidence to substantiate this. Nevertheless, a Russian court found them guilty and rejected appeals. Both Whelan and Gershkovich deny these charges. The United States claims that Whelan and Gershkovich have been wrongfully detained and refers to them as "hostages." Paul Whelan is an executive at an American company who was arrested in 2018 during a trip to Moscow. A Russian court sentenced him to 16 years in prison. The Poligraph website, a fact-checking project of Voice of America, previously reported that Russian prison officials have denied Whelan medical care and have deprived him of contact with his family. Poligraph also refuted Russia's false claims regarding the obvious inconsistencies in how the court handled Whelan's case, which the United States called "horrific." U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated, "Russian officials secretly tried him and sentenced him to 16 years in prison based on classified evidence." The U.S. Secretary of State called Whelan's detention "unacceptable" and said they would pressure Russia for his immediate release at every opportunity. Evan Gershkovich is a reporter for the Wall Street Journal who was detained last April while on a work assignment in Yekaterinburg, eastern Russia. The Russian internal security service has accused Gershkovich of collecting classified information about the Russian military, which both the Wall Street Journal and Gershkovich have denied. On November 28, a court extended Gershkovich's detention until the end of January. The U.S. condemned this action by Russia and called for Gershkovich's immediate release. Poligraph also rejected Russian claims that Gershkovich had never participated in any journalism-related activities in Russia. In his annual press conference, Putin also stated that Russia has no objection to prisoner exchanges and is in discussions with the U.S., and any progress in this regard depends on whether the U.S. can "satisfy" the Russian side. The U.S. had previously stated that Russia rejected Washington's "significant" proposal to ensure the return of Whelan and Gershkovich. The imprisoned journalist in Russia has been accused of spreading false news about the military. Paul Whelan, a former American military officer, was attacked in a Russian prison. Russia extended the detention of an American journalist for another 43 days. A bipartisan Senate plan for the release of the imprisoned American journalist in Russia. The extension of the detention of the American journalist in Russia; the Wall Street Journal: his charges are false. The U.S. State Department: Evan Gershkovich has been wrongfully detained by Russia.