Department Secretary of the United States, Anthony Blinken, sent out a message to Americans in Russia to leave the country immediately after an American reporter was arrested in the capital city of Russia, Moscow.
Mr Blinken said on Twitter that authorities are extremely concerned with the announcement made by Russia that it has detained a journalist who is legally a citizen of the United States, and that’s why they have sent a message to all the Americans in Russia. The highest priority for this state department currently is the security and safety of Americans in Russia. Before, they stated that if any U.S. citizen reading this and resides in Russia, they should evacuate immediately.
These remarks were made when an American reporter who works for the Wall Street Journal named Evan Gershkovich was arrested under espionage charges in Russia, according to the English-language news channel Al-Jazeera.
In a statement by Mr Blinken, he stated that everyone is extremely concerned over this detention made by Russia of a U.S. citizen journalist. They are in contact with Wall Street Journal and have regular updates on the situation. In a situation where a U.S. citizen is detained on foreign grounds, consular access is immediately sought, and all support possible is provided.
This statement was closed with Mr Blinken saying that the entire United States Government as a whole denounces the attempts made by the Kremlin to punish, intimidate and suppress unwavering journalists and voices in the society.
In other news, the Press Secretary of the White House, Karine Jean-Pierre, also shared their concerns over the arrest of Gershkovich in Russia. She also mentioned to the press that the State Department and White House officials have been in contact with the Wall Street Journal, which is the employer of Evan Gershkovich.
So far, the administration has been in contact with Gershkovich’s family, and the state department has been in direct contact with the Russian authorities on this matter for the safety of Americans in Russia. It is working tirelessly to gain consular access to Evan, stated the Press Secretary in a tweet.
