TOKYO -- Evan Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal reporter detained in Russia for about 16 months on espionage charges, said earlier this month he expects Russia to hold a Hokkaido Shimbun reporter until Russia gets "something in return." Gershkovich also stressed the importance of seeking support from the U.S. and other allies to secure the reporter's release. Speaking in an online interview with Nikkei, the Wall Street Journal reporter recounted his own detention.

Russia's Federal Security Service arrested him in March 2023 while he was reporting in Yekaterinburg, central Russia, on matters related to military production.

After being sentenced to 16 years in prison, he was released in August 2024 as part of a large-scale prisoner exchange between Russia and Western countries. The deal was reached after the U.S. and its European partners agreed to measures including the release of Vadim Krasikov, a key FSB executive who had been serving a life sentence in Germany. Q: How do you see the detention of the Hokkaido Shimbun reporter?

We don't yet know what Russia wants, but I believe he is being held for something in return. Keeping him in prison for years is not the point. Relations between Russia and Japan are deteriorating, and that has made Russia more willing to take a Japanese journalist.

In my case, it was clear early on that I had been taken for a swap. After my arrest, I wasn't asked to provide any information about the source I had been meeting. At my first meeting with my investigator, he said, 'You're going to want to cooperate with us, or you won't be included on these swap lists. Q: What steps should be taken to secure his release?

In my case, the U.S. government looked beyond a one-for-one exchange and explored other ways. If there is someone being held in another country whom Russia wants back, Japan could work with that country. Working with allies is especially important.

The United States and Germany decided that the moral good of freeing me and the other prisoners of conscience outweighed the moral harm of releasing a killer and other Russian spies. There is always a debate about whether we should negotiate with hostage-takers. But this is a newspaper reporter who was doing his job, and he deserves his freedom. Q: What was the hardest part of your detention?

Not knowing when it would end. If you receive a sentence, you know the period of time you are working toward. With a swap, you have no idea. Will it be over tomorrow or in five years? Will it happen at all? I tried to estimate that it would take a year and a half to three years, so that I wouldn't have this constant false hope. Even so, it was really difficult psychologically.

The other thing was being helpless to help your loved ones. Your family is outside, very worried about you, and there is nothing you can do. I didn't have a child then, and I can't imagine being a father in that situation, not being there for your child and not knowing when you are going to see them again. What helped you get through life in prison?

I was held in Lefortovo prison in Moscow. My friends created a website where people could write letters of support. They gathered those letters, translated them into Russian and had them delivered to the prison. Receiving that outpouring of support made me feel that I wasn't alone. That was really important.

The media and advocacy groups continued talking about my case, so knowing that there was global support really mattered. I also came up with a very strict schedule. I exercised, meditated and read. Retaining a sense of humor helped, too. The days are really long, and the situation is really bleak, so you need to be able to laugh sometimes. I hope his family and colleagues on the outside can also allow themselves to laugh and have some levity in these dark times. Q: Can we expect international support for him to grow?

I hope so. That is partly why I am giving these interviews. My case came as a massive shock because it involved the arrest of a foreign correspondent. The Wall Street Journal is a massive global newspaper, and it involved Russia and the United States, two major powers. In this case, Q: What support will he need after his release?

I was in prison for 16 months, and it took me 16 months of work to feel like my normal self again. It doesn't end the moment you are free. It takes time afterward as well, and getting back on your feet is not easy.

He will also need support after he returns. His newsroom will need to support him financially and professionally, give him time, and help him get therapy and psychological support. But we are not there yet. That is in the future. Right now, the important thing is to get through this detention first.