Putin’s government again denies consular assistance to American journalist arrested in Russia

New York: Russia has denied consular assistance for the second time to US journalist Ivan Garskovich, who was arrested on espionage charges.

“Wall Street” journalist Ivan Karskovich was arrested in Russia’s Ural Mountains region of Yekaterinburg, the FSB (The Federal Security Service) said last March. Russian authorities said Ivan Gershkovich had been arrested on charges of intercepting and trying to gather classified information.

The US continues to seek diplomatic assistance for Ivan Garskovich. In this situation, the Russian government has refused consular assistance for the second time. Regarding this, the US Department of State said, “Russia fails to follow international diplomatic agreements. We oppose this. “Our team is focused on ensuring timely consular access to American people in crisis overseas, regardless of sanctions,” it said.

After Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, many European countries imposed economic sanctions on Russia. The US imposed more economic sanctions on Russia. Also, the United States recently denied a visa to the Russian foreign minister to attend a United Nations meeting. In this case, Ivan Kerskovich is arrested and unable to obtain consular assistance. This is the first time since the Cold War that an American journalist has been arrested by Russia on espionage charges.

Who is this Ivan Karskovich? – Ivan Gershkovich was sent to Russia by the Wall Street Journal to cover the Ukraine Russia war. He also has a journalist accreditation card issued by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. However, Russia has arrested him as a spy. Ivan last wrote an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal on how the Russian economy has been crippled by Western sanctions.