Evan Gersh Kovich and the Moscow Times

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Evan Gerskovich is the son of Soviet emigres and grew up in New Jersey. He always had an interest in Russia and the broader region, spoke Russian at home. Piotr has been on the show with Evan before; it was just last summer. We called him after learning that he and Evan Gersh Kovich were friends.

Evan Gershkovich’s detention is a callback to the last time a US journalist was accused of espionage in Russia — and to a Soviet-era tactic for manipulating the West.

This episode was produced by Amanda Lewellyn, edited by Amina Al-Sadi, fact-checked by Laura Bullard and Matt Collette, engineered by Patrick Boyd, and hosted by Noel King.

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