I hope I needn’t remind you who Evan Gershkovich is.: the young Wall Street Journal reporter arrested in March of 2023 in Russia, allegedly for spying, while simply doing his job as a journalist — one of the few who didn’t leave the country after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

And today, his trial — not surprisingly, behind closed doors — began in Yekaterinburg with a preliminary hearing that lasted about two hours. U.S. Embassy officials from Moscow had been trying to gain admittance to the proceedings and were finally permitted to enter the courtroom briefly today, though they later reported that they were not allowed to speak with Gershkovich. The next court session is scheduled for August 13th, nearly two months away.

It is said that the trial is expected to last “months,” though it is not clear whether that includes waiting time between court appearances. Why is that necessary? How is it even possible? If he is guilty, as the Russians claim, how difficult should it be for them to prove it? How many “witnesses” can they have? How much “evidence” could they have manufactured to “prove” their charges?

Or is it all simply a ploy to press Russia’s demands for a trade: Gershkovich for someone such as Vadim Krasikov, a Russian assassin currently imprisoned in Germany following his conviction for the murder of a Chechen rebel leader in Berlin? The Kremlin has signaled a possible willingness to negotiate such a swap, but they continue to delay, now insisting that it will first be necessary to reach a verdict in Evan’s case.

In the meantime, Evan Gershkovich remains a hostage, imprisoned in the hell of the Russian penal system . . . his head shaved, but his spirit unbroken . . . while Vladimir Putin calls the shots.

I lived through the Cold War; I held my breath while the world rejoiced at its supposed end in 1991; and I’m turning blue because I’m still holding my breath. Tragically, Evan Gershkovich has become the poster boy for the 21st Century’s production of Cold War, Act II.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
6/26/24