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Gone quiet · last update Sep 28, 2026 / Russia

Evan Gershkovich's trial in Russia and the 2024 prisoner swap that freed him

Overview · reviewed October 28, 2026

Evan Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal reporter, was arrested in Russia in March 2023 on espionage charges that he, his newspaper and the US government rejected, and in July 2024 a Russian court sentenced him to 16 years.[1][2][3] Two weeks later he was freed with Paul Whelan and others in a historic prisoner exchange between Russia and the West, in which Russia got back eight people, including an assassin serving a life sentence in Germany.[4][5]

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Two weeks later he was freed with Paul Whelan and others in a historic prisoner exchange between Russia and the West, in which Russia got back eight people, including an assassin serving a life sentence in Germany.[4][5]

Coverage over time

Share of tracked outlets · monthly average of weekly shares (UTC)

Mar 2023: average weekly share 28% (left 9%, center 14%, right 5%), from 1 of 1 weekApr 2023: average weekly share 16% (left 5%, center 8%, right 3%), from 4 of 4 weeksMay 2023: average weekly share 3% (left 1%, center 1%, right 1%), from 5 of 5 weeksJun 2023: average weekly share 4% (left 1%, center 2%, right 1%), from 4 of 4 weeksJul 2023: average weekly share 3% (left 1%, center 2%, right 1%), from 5 of 5 weeksAug 2023: average weekly share 3% (left under 1%, center 2%, right 1%), from 4 of 4 weeksSep 2023: average weekly share 3% (left 1%, center 2%, right 1%), from 4 of 4 weeksOct 2023: average weekly share 2% (left 1%, center 1%, right 1%), from 5 of 5 weeksNov 2023: average weekly share 3% (left 1%, center 1%, right 1%), from 4 of 4 weeksDec 2023: average weekly share 1% (left under 1%, center under 1%, right under 1%), from 4 of 4 weeksJan 2024: average weekly share 2% (left under 1%, center 1%, right under 1%), from 5 of 5 weeksFeb 2024: average weekly share 8% (left 3%, center 3%, right 2%), from 4 of 4 weeksMar 2024: average weekly share 6% (left 2%, center 2%, right 1%), from 4 of 4 weeksApr 2024: average weekly share 2% (left under 1%, center 1%, right 1%), from 5 of 5 weeksMay 2024: average weekly share 1% (left 1%, center under 1%, right under 1%), from 4 of 4 weeksJun 2024: average weekly share 10% (left 3%, center 5%, right 2%), from 4 of 4 weeksJul 2024: average weekly share 14% (left 4%, center 6%, right 3%), from 5 of 5 weeksAug 2024: average weekly share 2% (left 1%, center under 1%, right under 1%), from 4 of 4 weeksSep 2024: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 5 of 5 weeksOct 2024: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksNov 2024: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksDec 2024: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 5 of 5 weeksJan 2025: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksFeb 2025: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksMar 2025: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 5 of 5 weeksApr 2025: average weekly share 7% (left 2%, center 5%, right 1%), from 4 of 4 weeksMay 2025: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksJun 2025: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 5 of 5 weeksJul 2025: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksAug 2025: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksSep 2025: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 5 of 5 weeksOct 2025: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksNov 2025: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksDec 2025: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 5 of 5 weeksJan 2026: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksFeb 2026: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksMar 2026: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 5 of 5 weeksApr 2026: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksMay 2026: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksJun 2026: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 5 of 5 weeksJul 2026: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksAug 2026: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 5 of 5 weeksSep 2026: average weekly share under 1% (left under 1%, center under 1%, right under 1%), from 4 of 4 weeksOct 2026: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksNov 2026: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 2 of 2 weeks, so far

LeftCenterRight

Each bar is the share of the outlets on our Left / Center / Right rating scale that we tracked publishing that week which carried reporting on this story, split by the outlets' ratings. Over more than two years each bar is a month: the average of that month's weekly shares, so the shape stays readable. The weekly table below keeps every week. We track more outlets now than in the archive, so a share keeps earlier and later weeks comparable. An outlet counts once a week however much it published, and outlets in one ownership or syndication group count as one on each side they appear on. A rating describes the outlet, not the report. A gap means no such reports were collected that week, not that nothing was reported anywhere. Weeks run Monday to Sunday in UTC, so a report published on a Sunday evening in US Eastern time counts in the next week. 12 more outlets off the scale (not rated, or outside the left-right graphs) also reported; they are not in this chart. See them.

Weekly counts, outlets and reports (30 weeks with coverage)
Outlets on the rating scale that carried this story each week, of the outlets tracked that week, newest first
Week of (UTC)LeftCenterRightOf trackedShareReceipts
Sep 28, 20262215 of 4761%
Apr 21, 2025615425 of 20612%
Apr 7, 2025621431 of 19416%
Aug 5, 202454413 of 2026%
Jul 29, 202428422595 of 22842%
Jul 15, 202418271257 of 22026%
Jun 24, 20241321640 of 25016%
Jun 17, 2024710724 of 22211%
Jun 10, 20241019837 of 24715%
May 20, 20245117 of 2263%
Apr 22, 2024511622 of 22310%
Mar 25, 202419241255 of 24522%
Feb 19, 202463312 of 2325%
Feb 5, 202419261762 of 24226%
Jan 22, 2024512522 of 2389%
Dec 11, 20234228 of 2254%
Nov 27, 2023712928 of 23512%
Oct 9, 202369722 of 2379%
Sep 18, 2023410519 of 2338%
Sep 11, 202355313 of 2425%
Aug 21, 2023415625 of 24310%
Jul 10, 202358114 of 2436%
Jul 3, 2023913628 of 24511%
Jun 19, 20231321741 of 26316%
May 22, 20231414836 of 26913%
Apr 24, 20231157 of 2553%
Apr 17, 20231626850 of 25420%
Apr 10, 202315231048 of 25419%
Apr 3, 202321271058 of 26022%
Mar 27, 202326391479 of 27828%

Latest coverage

The newest reporting in this story's record.

  1. Sep 28, 2026 · first reported · Headline from Crosscut

    Gershkovich reflects on arrest in Russia and rebuilding life

Background

Russia's security service arrested Evan Gershkovich, an American reporter for The Wall Street Journal, in March 2023 and accused him of spying.[1] President Joe Biden told Russia to "let him go,"[6] Secretary of State Antony Blinken pressed his Russian counterpart in a rare phone call,[7] and Senate leaders Chuck Schumer and Mitch McConnell issued a rare joint statement condemning the arrest.[8] Gershkovich was formally charged with espionage and denied it,[9] and the State Department designated him as "wrongfully detained,."[2][10]

Read the full background (2 more paragraphs)

For more than a year Moscow courts extended his detention at closed hearings and rejected his appeals,[11][12][13] while Russia limited consular visits.[14][15] His lawyers asked a United Nations body to declare that he was arbitrarily detained.[16] A Russian diplomat said a swap might be discussed after a trial,[17] and the Kremlin acknowledged contacts with the US.[18] In his February 2024 interview with Tucker Carlson, President Vladimir Putin suggested an agreement could be reached and referred to a Russian hitman held in a German jail.[19][20]

Gershkovich's trial began on June 26, 2024, behind closed doors; the Journal said "this isn't a trial."[21][22] In July he was convicted and sentenced to 16 years.[3] On August 1, the US and Russia carried out a prisoner exchange that freed Gershkovich and Paul Whelan.[4] Among the eight people returned to Moscow was Vadim Krasikov, serving a life sentence in Germany for a killing, and the Kremlin acknowledged that intelligence officers were among them.[5] In 2026 Gershkovich spoke about his arrest and about rebuilding his life after his release.[23]

Supporting stories (23)
  1. Russia arrests Wall Street Journal reporter on spying charge
  2. US officially determines WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich ‘wrongfully detained’ by Russia
  3. Evan Gershkovich sentenced to 16 years in Russian prison
  4. Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan freed from Russia in historic multi-country prisoner swap, back in US
  5. Putin called him a patriot. But who is Vadim Krasikov, a Russian released in the mass prisoner swap?
  6. Biden to Russia on detained US journalist: ‘Let him go’
  7. Blinken: Russia must immediately free 2 detained Americans
  8. Schumer and McConnell condemn Russia's detention of reporter Evan Gershkovich
  9. Wall Street Journal Reporter Charged With Espionage, Russian News Outlets Report
  10. Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich appears in Russian court
  11. Russian court data: US journalist Evan Gershkovich appeals extension of detention on spying charges
  12. Russian Court Upholds Detention of WSJ Reporter Evan Gershkovich
  13. Moscow court rejects Evan Gershkovich’s appeal, keeping him in jail until at least June 30
  14. Russia denies US request to visit jailed WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich
  15. WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich has been detained for 100 days by Russian government
  16. UN panel urged to declare US reporter Gershkovich Russian detention arbitrary
  17. Diplomat: Russia might discuss swap for jailed US reporter
  18. Evan Gershkovich could be involved in a prisoner swap, Moscow hints
  19. Putin uses Tucker Carlson interview to press his Ukraine narrative, hints at swapping WSJ reporter
  20. Putin claims deal could be reached for imprisoned WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich in rare interview with Tucker Carlson
  21. Trial of Evan Gershkovich, U.S. reporter charged with espionage in Russia, is to begin June 26
  22. Russia puts US journalist Evan Gershkovich on trial
  23. Evan Gershkovich reflects on arrest in Russia and reclaiming his life after release

The full record

Each date is when an update was first reported.

All 55 recorded updates

September 2026

  1. Evan Gershkovich reflects on arrest in Russia and reclaiming his life after releaseHeadline from PBS NewsHour · 6 outlets

April 2025

  1. El Salvador’s president offers Maduro US-deported Venezuelans for prisoner swapHeadline from KTVZ Bend · 28 outlets
  2. Ksenia Karelina lands in US after prisoner swap with RussiaHeadline from ABC 17 Mid-Missouri · 32 outlets

August 2024

  1. Bloomberg apologizes for premature story on prisoner swap and disciplines the journalists involvedHeadline from Valdosta Daily Times · 13 outlets

July 2024

  1. Putin called him a patriot. But who is Vadim Krasikov, a Russian released in the mass prisoner swap?Headline from ABC 11 Raleigh · 8 outlets
  2. US and Russia tout prisoner swap as a victory. But perceptions of the deal show stark differencesHeadline from KEYT Santa Barbara · 90 outlets
  3. Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan freed from Russia in historic multi-country prisoner swap, back in USHeadline from ABC 13 Houston · 35 outlets
  4. Evan Gershkovich sentenced to 16 years in Russian prisonHeadline from Washington Examiner · 63 outlets

June 2024

  1. Russia puts US journalist Evan Gershkovich on trialHeadline from Digital Journal · 44 outlets
  2. Trial of Evan Gershkovich, U.S. reporter charged with espionage in Russia, is to begin June 26Headline from Washington Times · 32 outlets
  3. US reporter Evan Gershkovich to stand trial in Russia on espionage chargesHeadline from France 24 · 29 outlets

May 2024

  1. Trump claims if he is elected, Vladimir Putin will release jailed US reporter Evan Gershkovich 'for me'Headline from NBC News · 7 outlets

April 2024

  1. Moscow court rejects Evan Gershkovich’s appeal, keeping him in jail until at least June 30Headline from Washington Times · 26 outlets

March 2024

  1. Biden says he’s working to secure release of Wall Street Journal reporter held for a year in RussiaHeadline from The Hill · 21 outlets
  2. US journalist marks a year in a Russian prison as courts keep extending his time behind barsHeadline from Bowling Green Daily News · 21 outlets
  3. Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich marks 1 year in Russian prisonHeadline from ABC 30 Fresno · 32 outlets
  4. Russia extends arrest of US reporter Evan Gershkovich. He has already spent nearly a year in jailHeadline from WTOP Washington DC · 15 outlets

February 2024

  1. A Russian court extends the pretrial detention for an American reporter accused of spyingHeadline from Minneapolis Star Tribune · 12 outlets
  2. Putin claims deal could be reached for imprisoned WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich in rare interview with Tucker CarlsonHeadline from New York Post · 14 outlets
  3. Putin uses Tucker Carlson interview to press his Ukraine narrative, hints at swapping WSJ reporterHeadline from Triblive · 62 outlets

January 2024

  1. Pre-trial detention of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich extended through MarchHeadline from NBC4 Washington · 23 outlets

December 2023

  1. Putin says Russia is in dialogue with the US on exchanging jailed Americans Gershkovich and WhelanHeadline from NBC New York · 8 outlets

November 2023

  1. Russian court extends detention of Wall Street Journal reporter Gershkovich until end of JanuaryHeadline from WFMZ Allentown · 30 outlets

October 2023

  1. Wall Street Journal reporter loses appeal and will stay in a Russian jail at least through NovemberHeadline from WTOP Washington DC · 18 outlets
  2. Russian Court Upholds Detention of WSJ Reporter Evan GershkovichHeadline from Wall Street Journal · 5 outlets

Coverage & sources

Read the reports, see how much was collected over time, or compare outlets by political leaning.

Coverage & sources →