‘I said to leave it at home’

Russian state media releases first footage of Evan Gershkovich’s and Paul Whelan’s arrests

On August 5, two Russian state-funded media outlets published the first publicly released footage of the arrests of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan. One of the videos includes audio from a purported meeting between Gershkovich and the source he was meeting with when he was arrested. The clip indicates that the journalist asked his source not to bring any documents but the person brought them anyways, which suggests the meeting was a sting operation set up by the FSB. Meduza shares the new footage and summarizes what Russia’s propaganda media wrote about it.

Russia’s state-backed media outlets REN TV and RT have published video footage of the arrests of U.S. citizens Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan, both of whom were freed in last week’s historic prisoner swap between Moscow and the West. The clips were reportedly provided by Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), which carried out the arrests.

The footage consists of multiple video clips spliced together and one audio recording. One of the videos of Whelan appears to have been filmed by a hidden camera in a bathroom. Another clip shows him in an office, likely after his arrest.

The videos of Gershkovich show him being apprehended in a Yekaterinburg restaurant. In the article accompanying the clip, RT writes that the “operation” to arrest the journalist took place during a meeting with an “anonymous contact” in which he “openly discussed the exchange of secret information about the Russian military–industrial complex.”

REN TV, citing the FSB, writes that before the meeting, Gershkovich had contacted a representative of the Russian defense plant Uralvagonzavod and asked him to share information about the facility’s operations. The outlet alleges that in the video, Gershkovich shows the plant employee a list of questions and his assignment from his newsroom and that the employee, after reading over the materials, determines that the information the journalist wants could constitute state secrets. According to REN TV, Gershkovich was “caught red-handed” trying to obtain secret information.

In one of the videos, Gershkovich and the person he’s meeting (whose face is blurred) are shown from multiple angles. People in civilian clothing (likely FSB officers), some of whom are wearing balaclavas, are then shown entering the restaurant. They approach the table where Gershkovich and the other person are sitting. One of the presumed officers jumps on the couch and grabs Gerskhovich by the neck from behind.

The video has been edited to emphasize that Gershkovich appears to try to hide a piece of paper upon seeing the FSB officers, though it’s not clear from the footage what this is.

Another video shared by Russia’s propaganda media on Monday contains an audio recording of a conversation between two people. RT claims the speakers are Gershkovich and his “informant.” It’s unclear when and where the audio was recorded, but the background noise indicates it was recorded in a public place and could have come from the restaurant where Gershkovich was arrested. The footage has sparked speculation that the alleged “informant” could be an FSB agent.

In the clip, a person whose voice has been altered is heard saying, “I did what you asked. I have it with me.” The person then asks the other person to be careful with the secret information. The second person (whom RT claims is Gershkovich) then responds:

We won’t even write that we’ve seen the documents. We’ll only cite an anonymous source. So, we won’t be suspected of collecting anything, and nobody will be suspected of leaking anything. We’ll write something like: anonymous sources said. [Cuts to different recording.] No, there will be no mention of this. Our approach here — that’s why we said to leave it at home. The approach here is, like, right now this is just an interview.

Judging from Gershkovich’s purported words, he was only planning on interviewing his source and asked him not to bring any documents.

The clip with the audio recording is spliced together with footage from Gershkovich’s arrest that shows him being handcuffed forcefully and made to lie down on the ground.

The footage of Paul Whelan begins with a clip filmed in a bathroom. REN TV, citing the Russian FSB, claims the video shows a “conspiratorial meeting of Paul Whelan in the bathroom of a Metropol hotel room” in late December 2018, immediately before Whelan’s arrest. The footage shows a man walking up to Whelan and saying something to him. Because the video has no sound, it’s unclear what the two men are speaking about. During the conversation, the man hands Whelan a small object, which Whelan then puts in his pocket. REN TV alleges the item was a USB drive containing secret information about FSB personnel. According to the outlet, Whelan was arrested and taken in for questioning by the FSB after receiving the flash drive.