The FSB has been subjected to repeated sanctions by the United States

Washington, April 27 – A senior US administration official told reporters that the US authorities have imposed new sanctions on the Russian Federal Security Service.

“This is only the first step in our program of work,” he said.

According to him, there are other things and people about whom similar actions are planned, and he also warned that “they are working at the moment.”

He said that the decision to impose sanctions was reached long before the arrest in Russia on suspicion of espionage of the American journalist Ivan Gershkovich, whose arrest in Yekaterinburg was reported to the FSB on March 30.

However, he emphasized, the sanctions reflect Russia’s current activity with regard to US citizens.

On March 30, Russia’s FSB announced that Wall Street Journal Moscow bureau reporter Ivan Gershkovich had been arrested in Yekaterinburg on suspicion of espionage for the US government. According to the Russian intelligence service, the American collected information that constitutes a state secret “about the activities of one of the companies belonging to the Russian military-industrial complex.” He was detained by the Lefortovo Court in Moscow for two months.

Press Secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov said that Gershkovich was caught in the act. The official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, confirmed that Gershkovich’s activities in Yekaterinburg had nothing to do with journalism. According to her, this is not the first time that foreigners in Russia have used foreign correspondent status, visa and journalist accreditation to cover up non-journalist activities: “It is not the first known Westerner.” with hands.