Evan Gershkovich on What Life Inside Russia’s Prison System Was Like | WSJ (Level 1)

Evan Gershkovich is a reporter for The Wall Street Journal. In March 2023, he was arrested in Yekaterinburg, Russia. The government accused him of spying, but that was false. Evan spent 16 months in prison. Many people around the world asked for his release. In August 2024, he was freed in a big prisoner exchange between Russia and Western countries. Evan says speaking Russian helped him talk to guards and other prisoners. He kept a diary and sent copies to his lawyers. He treated his time in prison like a reporting job. At his arrest, Evan was afraid. Later, he understood he was being used as a political prisoner. When Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny died in prison, Evan felt very low. His trial happened quickly. He was sentenced to 16 years, but he did not believe he would serve that time. Soon he was taken to Moscow and then to an airport. He was freed and saw his family again. Now he thinks about the dangers journalists face.