Second American Journalist Detained in Russia

Russia broadens crackdown detaining American journalist for information-gathering .

Alsu Kurmasheva, a dual U.S.-Russian citizen and editor with US Congress-funded Radio Free Europe (RFE), has been detained and charged in Russia with failing to register as a foreign agent.
Kurmasheva was temporarily detained at Kazan airport on June 2 while awaiting the return of her confiscated US and Russian passports; she was later charged with failing to register her American passport with Russian authorities.
The charges brought against Kurmasheva suggest that she was gathering information on Russian military activities, an offence that, if proven, could lead to five years in prison.
Kurmasheva's detention is the second such incident involving a US journalist in recent months, following the detention of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich in March on spying charges.
Press freedom groups and the US government have sharply criticized these detentions, asserting that Russia is attempting to stifle independent reporting and dissent.
Analysts suggest that the arrests of US citizens could be a strategy by Russia to use them as bargaining chips in the wake of heightened tensions over the Ukraine war.