Journalist Evan Gershkovich Recounts Russian Detention and Swap

US journalist Evan Gershkovich recalled being lured into a trap and detained by FSB agents in Yekaterinburg in 2023 before receiving a 16-year sentence on fabricated espionage charges.

Realizing he was treated as a valuable hostage rather than a tortured prisoner provided him psychological stability during his 16-month confinement in Moscow's Lefortovo jail.

Gershkovich was eventually freed in a high-profile prisoner swap involving Russian assassin Vadim Krasikov, after international media campaigns and high-level US diplomatic efforts.