A second US journalist, Alsu Kurmasheva, has been detained by Russian authorities on accusations of failing to register as a foreign agent while collecting information online, according to her employer, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, and the Committee to Protect Journalists. If found guilty, Kurmasheva, who is a dual Russian-US citizen, could be sentenced to up to five years in jail. The journalist is accused of intentionally gathering military information about Russian activities via the internet in order to transmit it to foreign sources. This detention comes as Russia continues its crackdown on independent journalism following its invasion of Ukraine last year.
Kurmasheva, an editor for RFE/RL’s Tatar-Bashkir language service, was first detained in Russia’s Tatarstan republic in the summer. Her passports were confiscated by Russian authorities, preventing her from leaving the country. On October 18, a new charge of failing to register as a foreign agent while collecting information on Russian military activities was announced. This detention follows the arrest of another US journalist, Evan Gershkovich, on espionage charges earlier this year. Gershkovich has been in pre-trial detention in Moscow’s Lefortovo prison for over six months. Dmitry Peskov, spokesperson for the Kremlin, has mentioned the possibility of an exchange of prisoners with the US.
According to a report from local state news agency Tatar-Inform, Kurmasheva collected information online about university professors in Tatarstan who had been conscripted to fight in Ukraine. The report alleges that she used this information to prepare “alternative analytical materials” for international bodies and to conduct information campaigns discrediting Russia. The journalist’s work is seen as a deliberate collection of information that could be used against Russian security if obtained by foreign sources. RFE/RL’s acting president, Jeffrey Gedmin, emphasized Kurmasheva’s reporting on initiatives to protect and preserve the Tatar language and culture and called for her immediate release so she can return to her family.