WASHINGTON, April 19. /TASS/. The Russian embassy in Washington slammed attempts by the US press to portray as an innocent victim The Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was detained in Russia for espionage, as outright manipulation.

"We took notice of another attack of hysteria in the US media on allegedly unlawful detention of The Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who is suspected of espionage, after Moscow City Court refused to change the preventive measure for him," the embassy said in a comment on Tuesday. "Hiding behind the principles of freedom of speech, the American press is brazenly trying to interfere with the Russian justice as well as to question its independence," it added.

The embassy criticized the behavior of The Wall Street Journal editorial board, who called for expulsion of all our journalists working in the United States as irresponsible.

"The biased media should slow down and take a sober look at the situation. The American citizen is accused of committing acts against security of the Russian Federation after being caught red-handed," the embassy emphasized.

"Any attempts to portray Gershkovich as an innocent victim and interpret his subversive activities as journalistic duty are outright manipulation. By the way, US media outlets are notorious for this practice which they use in the interests of Washington ruling circles," the Russian diplomatic mission added. It urged "the American media to stop unjustified accusations of crackdown against free press in Russia."

"Instead, they should assess objectively the state of freedom of speech at home. Even NGO Reporters Without Borders, which can be hardly suspected of sympathy for our country, cites violations of the rights of journalists in the United States, as well as absence of security guarantees to them. Maybe, instead of examining the situation in Russia under a microscope the observers should pay attention to cases of unlawful detentions of correspondents by police and damage to their equipment?" the embassy asked rhetorically. "Washington sees a speck of sawdust in other's eye, but doesn’t notice a plank in its own," the embassy concluded.

According to Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), Gershkovich, acting at the behest of the US, collected information constituting a state secret about the activities of Russian defense sector companies. FSB investigators opened a criminal case against the US citizen under Article 276 of the Russian Criminal Code ("Espionage"). Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the journalist had been "caught red-handed." On March 30, Moscow’s Lefortovo District Court ordered that Gershkovich be held until May 29.