Russian President Vladimir Putin repeated false justifications for Russia’s detention of two American citizens, Paul Whelan and Evan Gershkovich.
Asked during his annual press conference on December 14, why Russia won’t return Whelan and Gershkovich home, Putin responded with a question:
“You say: ‘Why won’t you send them home?’ Why won’t they not commit law offenses on the territory of the Russian Federation?”
The claim that Whelan and Gershkovich are detained for committing crimes while in Russia is false.
The Russian prosecution charged them with espionage but never presented evidence to back that accusation. Nevertheless, a Russian court found them guilty and denied all appeals.
Both Whelan and Gershkovich deny the allegations.
The United States maintains that Whelan and Gershkovich are wrongfully detained and refers to them as hostages.
Paul Whelan is a U.S. corporate executive. He was arrested while on a trip to Moscow in 2018. The Russian court sentenced him to 16 years in prison.
Polygraph.info previously reported that the Russian prison authorities denied Whelan medical help and deprived him of communications with family.
We also debunked Russia’s false claims regarding the apparent inconsistencies in the way the court handled Whelan’s case, which the U.S. described as “appalling.”
“The Russian authorities subjected him to a secret trial and sentenced him to 16 years in a Russian penal colony based on secret evidence. His detention remains unacceptable, and we continue to press for his immediate release at every opportunity,” U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said in a statement.
Evan Gershkovich is the Wall Street Journal reporter who was arrested this past April while on a reporting assignment in Russia’s eastern city of Yekaterinburg.
The FSB, Russia's domestic intelligence agency, accused him of collecting secret information about the Russian military. The Wall Street Journal and Gershkovich denied the allegations.
On November 28, a court in Moscow extended Gershkovich’s detention until the end of January.
The United States condemned Russia’s acts and called for Gershkovich’s immediate release.
“Journalism is not a crime. We condemn the Kremlin’s continued repression of independent voices in Russia, and its ongoing war against the truth.”
Polygraph.info previously debunked the Russian claims that Gershkovich “was never involved in any journalistic activities in Russia.”
At his annual press conference, Putin also said that Russia is not refusing to exchange the prisoners and is in dialogue with the United States, but the progress depends on whether the U.S. could “satisfy the Russian side.”
The U.S. said on December 5 that Russia denied a “significant” offer Washington made to secure the return of Whelan and Gershkovich.
