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Russian spy charges for U.S. reporter spark outrage

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Russian authorities on Thursday arrested a Wall Street Journal reporter on allegations of espionage, sparking a furious reaction in Washington, adding fresh tension to already icy U.S.-Russian relations and stoking fears that Russian President Vladimir Putin has fully embraced a new strategy as retaliation for Western opposition to his war in Ukraine.
The Wall Street Journal vehemently denied the charges against Evan Gershkovich, a veteran journalist who speaks fluent Russian. He was taken into custody by Russia’s Federal Security Service, or FSB, in the city of Yekaterinburg. Mr. Gershkovich was filing stories from Russia as recently as this week, but Russian officials said he was using his credentials as a journalist for “activities that have nothing to do with journalism” and had acted on direct orders from the U.S. government.
It’s the first time Russia has arrested an American journalist on espionage charges since the end of the Cold War, signaling that Mr. Putin is willing to take more aggressive actions against perceived Western enemies as his troops struggle to gain ground in their war in Ukraine, now in its second year. 
Analysts also warned that the move suggests that Mr. Putin believes he can use Americans to secure the release of Russian prisoners — a strategy employed last year after U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner was detained on a trip to Russia until the Biden administration agreed to free notorious Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout in exchange.
Moscow offered no public evidence to substantiate the allegations against Mr. Gershkovich, which Biden administration officials condemned.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre criticized the Kremlin’s crackdown on domestic and foreign media and said the detention Thursday was “unacceptable.

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