March 30, 2023 Russia-Ukraine news

By Kathleen Magramo, Sophie Tanno, Aditi Sangal, Matt Meyer, Elise Hammond and Tori B. Powell, CNN

Updated 0038 GMT (0838 HKT) March 31, 2023
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10:57 a.m. ET, March 30, 2023

Lawmakers and organizations are reacting to Russia's arrest of a US journalist

From CNN staff

Lawmakers and organizations across America are responding to Russia's arrest of US journalist Evan Gershkovich of the Wall Street Journal. Here's what some of them are saying:

US Rep. Jared Moskowitz, a Florida Democrat, described Gershkovich's detention on espionage charges as a "kidnapping", telling CNN, “we are in very dangerous territory with (Putin). This is all about leverage and so now we have a human life in the balance." 

“This is not the game that Putin should be playing. I think Joe Biden has shown that he’s not someone who’s going to be toyed with when it comes to these sort of things,” said Moskowitz, who sits on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, adding Gershkovich "should be released immediately.”

US Rep. Adam Schiff, a California Democrat, said that this is "very typical Russian behavior."

"This is very typical Russian behavior, and that is to grab Americans, use them as leverage — in this case a reporter — make spurious allegations against them and detain them, you know, potentially for long periods of time. In this case, you know, I think we can see it in concert with their nuclear announcements — the abrogation of the treaty obligations — as a way of just ramping up pressure on the West, signaling that Moscow is going to use whatever tools it has, including essentially hostage-taking, to try deter the United States and the West from opposing its ambitions in Ukraine."

The National Press Club on Thursday called on Russia to immediately release Gershkovich, calling his detention “unjust.” The organization also urged the State Department to act.

“Evan Gershkovich is a journalist. He should be released immediately and unharmed and allowed to return to his important work,” said Eileen O’Reilly, president of the National Press Club, and Gil Klein, president of the National Press Club, in a statement.

10:44 a.m. ET, March 30, 2023

WSJ editor tells staff she is very concerned for safety of reporter arrested in Russia

From CNN’s Oliver Darcy

Wall Street Journal Editor-in-Chief Emma Tucker told staff in a memo Thursday she is very concerned for the safety of reporter Evan Gershkovich, who Russian security forces arrested Wednesday in the city of Yekaterinburg.

“I am very sorry to let you know you that one of our reporters Evan Gershkovich was yesterday detained outside Moscow according to a statement put out by the Russian security services,” Tucker wrote in a memo to the newspaper's staff at 5:11 a.m. ET.

The memo was later obtained by CNN.

“We are very concerned for the safety of Evan and will keep you informed of the situation,” Tucker continued.

Gershkovich was arrested in Russia on suspicion of espionage, the first time a US journalist has been detained by Moscow on accusations of spying since the Cold War. 

In a statement, the Wall Street Journal said it “vehemently denies the allegations from the FSB and seeks the immediate release of our trusted and dedicated reporter."

“We stand in solidarity with Evan and his family,” the newspaper said.

9:59 a.m. ET, March 30, 2023

Far-right Austrian lawmakers walk out of Zelensky's speech to parliament 

From CNN‘s Nadine Schmidt in Berlin

Austrian MPs from the right-wing Austrian Freedom Party (FPOe) leave the assembly room as a sign of protest during a video address by Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky amid a session of the Austrian National Council in Vienna, Austria, on March 30.
Austrian MPs from the right-wing Austrian Freedom Party (FPOe) leave the assembly room as a sign of protest during a video address by Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky amid a session of the Austrian National Council in Vienna, Austria, on March 30. (Christian Bruna/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)

Far-right Austrian lawmakers walked out of the country's lower house of parliament on Thursday during a virtual address by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, protesting that it was an “infringement” of Austria’s neutrality status.

Members of the Freedom Party of Austria (FPO) left their seats as Zelensky started his video address, leaving small place cards on their desks featuring the party logo and a message that read "space for peace,” according to the Austrian public broadcaster ORF.

In a video message on its Twitter account Thursday, the party said, “Yes to neutrality, no to warmongering.”

The FPO had warned days before that it would stage some form of protest against the Ukrainian president’s virtual address to Austria’s parliament.

"It is sad that the FPO is the only party in parliament that takes our ever-lasting neutrality seriously, thereby also standing up for peace," FPO leader Herbert Kickl said in a statement on Tuesday. He also blamed the Austrian government and other opposition parties of showing "unilateral support for a war party."

In his address, Zelensky thanked Austria for its humanitarian aid and help with projects, such as clearing land mines, adding that it is “important not to be morally neutral towards evil."

Austria is not part of NATO and does not supply weapons to Ukraine. It has, however, provided Ukraine with humanitarian aid and helmets and protection vests for civilian use. Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer last week took to Twitter to emphasize his country’s neutrality status and said that while his country is militarily neutral, "we understand we have to help where injustice and war crimes take place."

The FPO has in the past maintained close ties to Russia. In 2016, it signed a cooperation agreement with United Russia, a conservative party holding a majority in the Russian parliament. In 2018, Russian President Vladimir Putin was spotted in Austria as a guest at the wedding of Karin Kneissl, a member of the FPO and an Austrian foreign minister at the time.

9:12 a.m. ET, March 30, 2023

Moscow will give US advance notice about missile tests, Russian deputy foreign minister clarifies

From CNN's Lindsay Isaac

Moscow will continue to give the United States advance notice about its missile tests despite suspending participation in the nuclear arms treaty called New START, Russia’s deputy foreign minister, Sergei Ryabkov, clarified Thursday according to Russian state media TASS.

What happened: On Wednesday, Ryabkov had said that all types of notifications between Russia and the United States under the nuclear NEW START treaty were suspended. To this, the State Department had said Wednesday that the US had not received notice from Russia “indicating a change” in nuclear notifications.

However, Ryabkov clarified and told reporters that Moscow will in fact voluntarily continue to notify the US of missile launch.

“From a political and legal point of view, the situation is such that all types of information exchanges, as well as other elements of verification activities in accordance with START, have been suspended by us. But, as it was announced back in February, on a voluntary basis, the Russian Federation will adhere to the central quantitative restrictions on START, established in the START treaty, and will also continue to implement the 1988 agreement on the exchange of notifications on missile launches," Ryabkov said as quoted by TASS.

He also stressed that Moscow has stated its position to Washington both orally and in writing. “There is no ambiguity here,” he said.

The US has been “concerned Russia's reckless behavior as it relates to the New START Treaty,” US State Department principal deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel said Wednesday.

CNN's Jennifer Hansler contributed to this reporting.

1:37 p.m. ET, March 30, 2023

WSJ journalist under arrest until May 29 on "espionage" charge, according to Russian court

A van carrying Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich leaves the Lefortovsky court, in Moscow, Russia, on March 30.
A van carrying Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich leaves the Lefortovsky court, in Moscow, Russia, on March 30. (Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP)

Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was detained in Russia on suspicion of "espionage," has been placed under arrest for nearly two months, until May 29, the court’s press service said Thursday.

Here's the statement from the court's press service:

“By the decision of the Lefortovsky District Court of Moscow dated March 30, 2023, in relation to E. Gershkovich, suspected of committing a crime under Article 276 [espionage] of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, a preventive measure was chosen in the form of detention for a period of 1 month 29 days, that is, until May 29 2023."
1:38 p.m. ET, March 30, 2023

US journalist case was marked "top secret," Russian state media reports

The case of arrested Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich is marked "top secret" and he did not admit guilt, Russian state news agency TASS reported on Thursday, citing law enforcement agencies.

Gershkovich was formally arrested Thursday in a case of "espionage" in the Lefortovo court in Moscow. 

The court decided that the journalist — as a measure of restraint — should be detained in a pre-trial center, TASS reported. 

1:37 p.m. ET, March 30, 2023

Moscow court formally arrests WSJ journalist

Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich is escorted by officers from the Lefortovo court to a bus in Moscow, Russia, on March 30.
Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich is escorted by officers from the Lefortovo court to a bus in Moscow, Russia, on March 30. (Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP)

 

The Russian state news agency TASS has reported that the Lefortovo court in Moscow has formally arrested Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich in relation to espionage allegations, according to law enforcement agencies.

TASS reported, “The Lefortovo court arrested journalist Evan Gershkovich in a case of espionage, law enforcement officials told us. He was chosen as a measure of restraint in the form of detention, the source of our agency said.”

The lawyer representing Gershkovich was not allowed to attend the Moscow hearing, according to TASS.

TASS reported that Daniil Berman was not allowed to participate in the hearing at the Lefortovo court, where a measure of detention is being chosen.

"They told me they already have an assigned lawyer," Berman said, according to TASS.

Another lawyer working on the case, Evgeny Smirnov, told CNN, “There is no (contact with Gershkovich) and there will be none in the coming weeks.”

9:44 a.m. ET, March 30, 2023

A US journalist has been arrested in Russia on suspicion of "espionage." Here's what we know so far

From CNN staff

A journalist with the Wall Street Journal, Evan Gershkovich, has been arrested in Russia on suspicion of espionage, according to Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), the country's main security force.

State news agency TASS reported he was detained in Yekaterinburg, on the eastern side of the Ural Mountains.

Here's what we know:

About Gershkovich: According to Gershkovich’s bio page on the Wall Street Journal’s website, he covers Russia, Ukraine and the former Soviet Union. He previously worked for news agency Agence France-Presse, the Moscow Times and the New York Times. 

How the FSB described the arrest: "The illegal activities of the correspondent of the Moscow bureau of the American newspaper The Wall Street Journal, US citizen Evan Gershkovich, born in 1991, accredited at the Russian Foreign Ministry, suspected of espionage in the interests of the American government, have been suppressed," it said in a statement. Gershkovich was detained "while trying to obtain secret information" relating to "the activities of one of the enterprises of the Russian military-industrial complex."

What the Russian government is saying: Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the arrest was a "prerogative of the FSB." In a regular call with reporters, he added, "as far as we know, he was caught red-handed." Russian authorities often make baseless claims about the work of foreign journalists.

Russian Foreign Ministry's response: Its spokesperson, Maria Zakharova, said Gershkovich’s work in Yekaterinburg, Russia, had “nothing to do with journalism.”

“Unfortunately, this is not the first time that the status of a ‘foreign correspondent,’ a journalistic visa and accreditation are used by foreigners in our country to cover up activities that are not related to journalism. This is not the first well-known Westerner to be ‘grabbed by the hand’,” Zakharova said on Telegram.

Zakharova and the ministry routinely make baseless claims about the work and the motives of foreign journalists in Russia.

How the Wall Street Journal is responding: The newspaper has had a decades-long presence in Moscow. In a statement, the company said it “vehemently denies the allegations from the FSB and seeks the immediate release of our trusted and dedicated reporter, Evan Gershkovich. We stand in solidarity with Evan and his family."

A first since the Cold War: Gershkovich is the first US journalist to be accused of spying by Russia since 1986, when journalist Nick Daniloff was detained on a similar charge amid strained US-Soviet Union ties. Daniloff was arrested during the end of his assignment for working for US News and World Report, and he was imprisoned for weeks in isolated conditions while before the Reagan administration negotiated his release. 

Russia has been cracking down on independent journalists: Gershkovich's arrest comes amid a crackdown in Russia on independent journalists and foreign news outlets in the wake of its invasion of Ukraine. In March 2022, Russia's President Vladimir Putin signed a censorship bill into law making it impossible for news organizations to accurately report the news in or from Russia. The law, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, makes it a crime to disseminate what it deems “fake” information about the invasion of Ukraine, with a penalty of up to 15 years in prison for anyone convicted.

1:37 p.m. ET, March 30, 2023

Russia’s security service formally requests arrest of WSJ journalist, state media reports

Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) has formally requested the arrest of US journalist Evan Gershkovich of the Wall Street Journal, Russian state news agency TASS reported citing Moscow's Lefortovo district court.

Gershkovich was arrested in Russia on suspicion of espionage, according to the FSB. He was detained in Yekaterinburg, on the eastern side of the Ural Mountains, TASS reported.