Russian President Vladimir Putin has personally approved the arrest of an American reporter on espionage charges for the first time since the Cold War. This was announced on Wednesday evening Bloomberg agencyciting his sources.
The detention of The Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich on March 29 sparked angry reactions from the United States and its allies, marking another downturn in U.S.-Russian ties that have soured since Putin’s invasion of Ukraine last year.
“This should be a real wake-up call not only for the US but also for the West as a whole”said Alina Polyakova, president of the Center for European Policy Analysis in Washington.
“This is a signal that there is no return to stable and reliable relations in Putin’s thinking.”she added.
As the war enters its second year, the Kremlin is increasingly trying to portray it as an existential struggle against NATO, determined to destroy Russia.
Moves such as the war crimes warrant against Putin issued by the International Criminal Court last month have deepened the leaders’ sense that there is no room for concession in a conflict that is expected to drag on for years.
Russia’s parliament this week moved to sharply tighten penalties for those who try to avoid military service.
The changes create a new online system for sending out call-up notices and barring those who ignore them from leaving the country, closing loopholes that many have used to avoid conscription. The measure, which is expected to be signed by Putin soon, has fueled fears that another mobilization could come later this year.
The Kremlin says it has no such plans at the moment. Last year, the call to the front of 300,000 reservists caused the emigration of a million Russians.
