The saga of detained Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich took another step this week as the U.S. officially designated him "unlawfully detained" by Russia.
This means his case will now be specially handled by the State Department's Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs and unlock more resources for his potential release. It also signifies that he is viewed officially as a political prisoner and not a legitimate detainee of Russia.
The office's special envoy Roger Carstens said the administration was in a "full-court press" Wednesday during an interview with CBS News.
"Senior members of the U.S. government, including Secretary [of State Antony] Blinken, have met with their counterparts in Russia to try to press them to release Evan and to gain more information," he said. "We've also been trying to gain consular access to him and have yet to have any luck in that."
Asked to elaborate, Carstens said with the official designation, they could work with the Russians on strategies to free both Gershkovich and American Paul Whelan, who is serving a 16-year sentence in a labor camp on espionage charges also widely viewed as bogus. He said he wouldn't get into specifics about a possible prisoner swap to bring home Americans, worrying it would weaken the U.S. negotiating position.
"In terms of how he's being treated right now, we don't really have a sense," Carstens said, noting Gershkovich is being held in the notorious Lefortovo prison. He said he was also "working" to create a deterrent strategy to make it more costly and thus less likely for Russia to snatch American citizens for political gain.
The U.S. has all along denied Russia's allegations that Gershkovich is a spy as absurd on its face, as have his colleagues, who describe the 31-year-old as a diligent reporter who is being used as a political pawn due to his high profile. He was detained March 29 in Yekaterinburg, the fourth-largest city in Russia. Russian authorities formally charged him last week with collecting "information constituting a state secret about the activities of an enterprise within Russia’s military-industrial complex," according to Russian state media outlet Tass.
"Putin's Playbook" author Rebekah Koffler explained the significance of the decision by the U.S. to designate him as an unlawful detainee, which includes helping his family obtain financial support for any legal fees they may incur.
DETAINED WSJ REPORTER EVAN GERSHKOVICH'S COLLEAGUES SPEAK OUT ON HIS PASSION FOR JOURNALISM, RUSSIA
"The designation of Evan Gershkovich as ‘wrongfully detained’ enabled the U.S. government to mount special resources needed to obtain his freedom and to support his family through this ordeal," she told Fox News Digital. "This status will allow [the administration] to build a team that will engage in negotiations with the Russians about prisoner exchange, prioritize intelligence collection to get insights into his status and whether his life is threatened, share information with the family, placing media pressure on the Russian government, build international support and apply pressure to the Russian government to help secure Evan’s release."
Gershkovich's family supported the designation.
"We are encouraged that the State Department has officially designated Evan as wrongfully detained," the family said in a statement. "We appreciate President Biden’s call to us today, assuring us that the U.S. government is doing everything in its power to bring him home as quickly as possible."
"In addition to being a distinguished journalist, Evan is a beloved son and brother. There is a hole in our hearts and in our family that won’t be filled until we are reunited. We are grateful for the outpouring of support from his colleagues, friends and everyone standing with Evan and advocating for his immediate release."
Financial Times reporter Polina Ivanova, a close friend of Gershkovich, also praised the move.
"It's great news, and I think everyone's happy to see things progress swiftly," she told Fox News Digital. "Every day counts, for Evan, for his family… The designation is really the first step and a lot kicks into gear once it is in place. Glad to see things moving forward with determination."
In a statement this week, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said journalism was not a crime and condemned the Kremlin's "continued repression of independent voices in Russia, and its ongoing war against the truth."
"The U.S. government will provide all appropriate support to Mr. Gershkovich and his family. We call for the Russian Federation to immediately release Mr. Gershkovich," Blinken said.
President Biden addressed the situation with reporters Tuesday before boarding Air Force One for Ireland.
"We’re making it real clear that it’s totally illegal what’s happening, and we declared it so. It changes the dynamic," Biden said.
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Fox News' Brian Flood, Joseph A. Wulfsohn and Paul Best contributed to this report.
