Russian-American Journalist Detained in Russia, Charged With Working as Illegal Foreign Agent

Published: 10/19/2023, 12:22:15 PM EDT

Russian-American Journalist Detained in Russia, Charged With Working as Illegal Foreign Agent — Alsu Kurmasheva, an editor with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's (RFE/RL) Tatar-Bashkir Service, poses in an undated handout photo. (Pangea Graphics (RFE/RL)/Handout via Reuters)

Russian authorities arrested Russian-American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva on Wednesday while she was traveling in the city of Kazan.

Ms. Kurmasheva, who works for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), now faces charges of failing to register as a foreign agent, which carries a maximum prison term of five years. According to a statement by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Russian officials suspect Ms. Kurmasheva was collecting information on Russian military activities that “could be used against the security of the Russian Federation.”

A dual citizen of Russia and the United States, Ms. Kurmasheva resides in Prague, Czech Republic, where she serves as editor of RFE/RL's Radio Azatliq service, which focuses on news out of the Russian states of Tatarstan and Bashkortostan.

According to an RFE/RL press statement following her arrest, Ms. Kurmasheva had been in Russia since May 20, following a family emergency. Ms. Kurmasheva was initially due to leave Russia on June 2, but Russian authorities temporarily detained her and confiscated both her U.S. and Russian passports. She was awaiting the return of her passports on Oct. 18 when she was formally charged.

“Alsu is a highly respected colleague, devoted wife, and dedicated mother to two children,” said RFE/RL acting President Dr. Jeffrey Gedmin. “She needs to be released so she can return to her family immediately."

It's unclear what evidence Russian authorities found to charge Ms. Kurmasheva with working as an unregistered foreign agent and collecting information that could harm Russian national security. The Wednesday RFE/RL press release states that since 2012, the Russian government "has used foreign agent laws to punish perceived government critics who receive funding from abroad or are deemed to be 'under foreign influence,'" including civil society groups, activists, and journalists.

RFE/RL is registered as a private, non-profit corporation and is funded by the U.S. government through grants supervised by the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM). USAGM also supervises Voice of America (VOA), the Office of Cuba Broadcasting, Radio Free Asia, the Middle East Broadcasting Networks, and the Open Technology Fund.

NTD News reached out to USAGM for comment about Ms. Kurmasheva's arrest and whether the incident warrants revised caution for USAGM-funded outlets and their employees. The agency did not respond by the time this article was published.

Americans Held By Russia

Ms. Kurmasheva is now the second U.S. journalist to be detained by Russia this year. In March, Russian authorities detained Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich on espionage charges. At the time of his arrest, Mr. Gershkovich was accredited to work as a journalist in Russia by the country’s foreign ministry, according to Russia's FSB security service.

The FSB claimed Mr. Gershkovich was collecting information about the Russian military industry at the behest of the United States. Mr. Gershkovich and The Wall Street Journal both deny the allegations. He faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted of the espionage charges.

Mr. Gershkovich's last article before his arrest, co-authored with fellow Wall Street Journal journalist Georgi Kantchev and titled "Russia’s Economy Is Starting to Come Undone," raised warnings signs that Russia's economy could falter. The Moscow Times reported Mr. Gershkovich was also preparing reports about the Russian Wagner Group private military company prior to his arrest.

Paul Whelan, a retired U.S. Marine, has also been held in Russia since December of 2018 on espionage charges.

U.S. officials are in ongoing negotiations for the release of Ms. Gershkovich, Mr. Whelan, and all other Americans currently detained in Russia.

Last year, President Joe Biden's administration arranged the release of WNBA basketball player Brittney Griner from Russian custody in exchange for releasing Russian national Viktor Bout, who had been serving a 25-year prison sentence following a 2011 conviction on charges of arms smuggling and conspiracy to kill Americans.