The family of Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reporter Evan Gershkovich say they are encouraged that the State Department formally announced that he is being "wrongfully detained" and say they appreciated a call from U.S. President Joe Biden, who they said assured them the United States is doing everything it can to win his release.
The family released a statement on April 11 describing the “hole in our hearts” over the detention of Gershkovich, 31, by Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB). They said it “won’t be filled until we are reunited.”
Biden telephoned Gershkovich's family from Air Force One en route to Northern Ireland, the White House said.
"We're making it real clear that it's totally illegal what's happening, and we declared it so. It changes the dynamic," Biden told reporters just before departing on the trip.
The president told Gershkovich’s family that he is focused on securing the release of both Gershkovich and another detainee held in Russia, Paul Whelan, spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said.
The family’s statement said they are "grateful for the outpouring of support from his colleagues, friends and everyone standing with Evan and advocating for his immediate release.”
Gershkovich was detained on March 29 in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg by the FSB and charged last week with espionage. The WSJ has adamantly denied the allegations and demanded his release.
The designation "wrongfully detained" means responsibility for the case will be transferred to the office of the Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs, raising the political profile of Gershkovich's detention and allowing the Biden administration to allocate more resources to securing his release.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on April 11 that U.S. consular officials had not had access to the journalist since his detention.
Blinken told a news conference that Moscow's actions would "do even more damage to Russia's standing around the world." He added that it sends a “very strong message to people around the world to beware of even setting foot there lest they be arbitrarily detained."
Whelan's brother David said Paul was able to speak with his parents on April 10 for the first time in 12 days.
Whelan, a former U.S. Marine being held in Russia since 2018 on what Washington calls trumped up charges, has not been included in previous prisoner swaps, including one that resulted in the release of women's professional basketball star Brittney Griner in exchange for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout in December.
"Paul's fear of being left behind a third time was apparently palpable in his conversation with our parents yesterday," David Whelan said in a statement. "It would be an unconscionable betrayal."
David Whelan said his brother is aware of Gershkovich’s case.