Friends of American journalist Evan Gershkovich describe his life before he was arrested and put in one of Russia's most notorious prisons

Lauren FriasMay 13, 2023, 20:04 IST

US journalist Evan Gershkovich, arrested on espionage charges, stands inside a defendants' cage before a hearing to consider an appeal on his arrest at the Moscow City Court in Moscow on April 18, 2023.Natalia Kolesnikova/AFP/Getty Images

In March, Russia arrested Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and accused him of espionage.
He's being held in Lefortovo, a prison where former inmates said they felt isolated and abandoned.

On March 29, Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich was detained by the Federal Security Bureau in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg.

Gershkovich is the first American journalist to be detained on espionage charges in Russia since the Cold War.

His supporters are demanding his release from Russian custody as the US journalist is currently held in Lefortovo prison, an infamous former KGB detention center located in Moscow.

Former prisoners and those who visited the notorious Russian prison recalled harrowing experiences of isolation — a stark contrast to the life the US journalist was living in New York and Russia before his arrest.

Born to Soviet-born Jewish émigrés in New Jersey, Gershkovich went to grade school in Princeton, New Jersey, before going on to study philosophy and English at Bowdoin College.

A portrait of Evan Gershkovich during his senior year at Princeton High School.Supplied/Princeton High School

Born to Soviet-born Jewish émigrés in New Jersey, Gershkovich went to grade school in Princeton, New Jersey, before going on to study philosophy and English at Bowdoin College.

Friends of Gershkovich said The Journal reporter could go from being a "goofball" to being "intensely serious about his work."

Evan Gershkovich in costume with a friend.Supplied

Childhood friends of Gershkovich described the journalist's adventurous spirit.

Evan Gershkovich sitting in an inner tube in Long Lake, Maine, in 2013.Supplied

Gershkovich took his passion for soccer to his adult life, playing at Bowdoin and enjoying watching matches with his favorite club, the Arsenals.

Evan Gershkovich is seen celebrating after scoring the winning penalty kick in the championship game against Amherst in the fall of 2010.Supplied

After Gershkovich graduated from Bowdoin, where he studied philosophy and English, he worked as a news assistant at The New York Times and a reporter for the Moscow Times and AFP before joining the Journal to cover Russia and Ukraine.

Evan Gershkovich in a graduation cap and gown.Supplied

After Gershkovich graduated from Bowdoin, where he studied philosophy and English, he worked as a news assistant at The New York Times and a reporter for the Moscow Times and AFP before joining the Journal to cover Russia and Ukraine.

Berke, Golden, and Van Itallie described the moment their worlds were turned upside down after hearing of Gershkovich's detainment.

Evan Gershkovich and friends stand on the steps outside of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.Supplied

Gershkovich's friends and family, US politicians, and fellow journalists are calling on Moscow to release him.

The Independent Association of Publishers' Employees and Wall Street Journal journalists rally in Washington, DC, on April 12, 2023, calling for the release of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich.Andrew Cabellero-Reynolds/AFP/Getty Images

The Biden administration is reportedly seeking high-level Russian spies for a potential prisoner swap for Gershkovich and former US Marine Paul Whelan.

President Joe Biden gestures as an image of US journalist Evan Gershkovich appears onscreen during the White House Correspondents' Association dinner at the Washington Hilton in Washington, DC, on April 29, 2023.Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images

Gershkovich is being held in Lefortovo, one of Moscow's most notorious prisons.

A general view of the pre-trial detention center "Lefortovo" in Moscow on Saturday, Dec. 9, 2000.AP

Former prisoners recounted their harrowing experiences of isolation and desperation at the infamous former KGB lockup.

A view shows the entrance to the pre-trial detention centre Lefortovo, where US journalist Evan Gershkovich is being held on espionage charges, in Moscow, Russia.Tatyana Makeyeva/Reuters

A Marine Corps veteran who was held at Lefortovo described it as the "most sinister" he experienced in his three years in Russian custody, The Journal reported.

A man walks in front of the entrance to the Lefortovo prison, where Evan Gershkovich, US journalist arrested on espionage charges, is held in Moscow, on April 12, 2023.Alexander Nemenov/AFP/Getty Images

While in custody, a Russian prison monitor said Gershkovich is spending his time reading a famous anti-Soviet novel by a Ukrainian Jew.

A man walks in front of the entrance to the Lefortovo prison, where Evan Gershkovich, US journalist arrested on espionage charges, is held in Moscow on April 12, 2023.Alexander Nemenov/AFP/Getty Images

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Friends of American journalist Evan Gershkovich describe his life before he was arrested and put in one of Russia's most notorious prisons

Born to Soviet-born Jewish émigrés in New Jersey, Gershkovich went to grade school in Princeton, New Jersey, before going on to study philosophy and English at Bowdoin College.

Friends of Gershkovich said The Journal reporter could go from being a "goofball" to being "intensely serious about his work."

Childhood friends of Gershkovich described the journalist's adventurous spirit.

Gershkovich took his passion for soccer to his adult life, playing at Bowdoin and enjoying watching matches with his favorite club, the Arsenals.

After Gershkovich graduated from Bowdoin, where he studied philosophy and English, he worked as a news assistant at The New York Times and a reporter for the Moscow Times and AFP before joining the Journal to cover Russia and Ukraine.

Berke, Golden, and Van Itallie described the moment their worlds were turned upside down after hearing of Gershkovich's detainment.

Gershkovich's friends and family, US politicians, and fellow journalists are calling on Moscow to release him.

The Biden administration is reportedly seeking high-level Russian spies for a potential prisoner swap for Gershkovich and former US Marine Paul Whelan.

Gershkovich is being held in Lefortovo, one of Moscow's most notorious prisons.

Former prisoners recounted their harrowing experiences of isolation and desperation at the infamous former KGB lockup.

A Marine Corps veteran who was held at Lefortovo described it as the "most sinister" he experienced in his three years in Russian custody, The Journal reported.

While in custody, a Russian prison monitor said Gershkovich is spending his time reading a famous anti-Soviet novel by a Ukrainian Jew.