MOSCOW. March 30 (Interfax) - Russian security services have caught Wall Street Journal correspondent, U.S. citizen Evan Gershkovich red-handed in Yekaterinburg on suspicion of espionage, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
"This is a prerogative of the FSB. In fact, the Federal Security Service already made a statement. We have nothing to add. The only thing I can say is that, to our knowledge, he was caught red-handed," Peskov told reporters in response to a related question.
As to whether the incident involving the U.S. journalist might affect the operation of Russian press stations abroad, including in the United States, Peskov said, "We hope that won't happen, no such thing should happen. Because once again, this is not about suspicions, this is about being caught red-handed."
Journalists also asked Peskov about what would happen to the Russian press stations of The Wall Street Journal and whether their staff might stay in Russia.
"No, those carrying out normal journalistic activity will obviously keep working, if they have proper accreditation. There will be no problems with that," he said.
Earlier on Thursday, the public relations center of the Russian Federal Security Service reported the detention of Gershkovich in Yekaterinburg on suspicion of espionage. "The Russian Federal Security Service put an end to the illegal activity of U.S. citizen Evan Gershkovich, born in 1991, a correspondent of the Moscow bureau of the U.S. newspaper The Wall Street Journal accredited by the Russian Foreign Ministry, suspected of spying for the U.S. government," the FSB said.
According to the FSB, Gershkovich, "acting on the orders of the U.S., was gathering information about a Russian defense plant that constitutes a state secret."
"The American was detained in Yekaterinburg while trying to obtain secret information," it said.