Russia’s ambassador to the United States said Washington threatened retaliation after the arrest of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich on espionage charges and suggested it might be time to reduce the number of American journalists in Russia.

Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said March 30 that it had arrested Mr. Gershkovich in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg and filed espionage proceedings against him for collecting state secrets about the military-industrial complex.

Mr. Gershkovich, the first American journalist to be detained in Russia on charges of espionage since the end of the Cold War, and his newspaper deny any involvement in espionage.

The United States called on Russia to release Mr. Gershovich and called Russia’s accusations of espionage ridiculous. US President Joe Biden called for the release of Gershkovich.

“The Americans have threatened us with reprisals if we do not release Gershkovich soon,” Russian Ambassador Anatoly Antonov said in an interview with Channel One. “Let’s see how they behave.”

Mr. Antonov said he had a “very tough” conversation with US Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland, who accused Russia of illegally detaining Gershovich. Mr. Antonoff said that Ms. Nuland repeatedly interrupted him in an unproductive manner.

The Russian ambassador said it might be time to reduce the number of American journalists working in Russia.

“The Americans have a very good reason – reciprocity, which they always insist on,” Mr. Antonov said on the air of the Big Game show. “Maybe it’s time to show reciprocity and reduce the number of American journalists working in Moscow and in Russia as a whole in terms of the number [των Ρώσων δημοσιογράφων] who work in Washington and New York,” Mr. Antonov said.

The Kremlin said that Gershovich was engaged in espionage “under the guise” of journalism. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in the United States that Mr. Gershovich was caught trying to get secrets.

On Monday, the United States found that Russia had “securely detained” Mr. Gershovich, effectively saying the espionage allegations were false and that the case was political.

Many American reporters have fled Russia since President Vladimir Putin ordered troops into Ukraine last year, and more have fled Mr. Gershovich’s custody.

The United States has repeatedly called on its citizens to leave Russia because of the war in Ukraine and the risk of arbitrary arrest or harassment by Russian law enforcement.

Source: Reuters.