The State Department on 10 April designated Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was arrested by Russian security services last month, as "wrongfully detained," launching a broad US government effort to exert pressure on Russia to free him.

Gershkovich is held on an accusation of espionage that the Journal and the US government vehemently deny. His case now shifts to a State Department section known as the Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs, which is focused on negotiating for the release of hostages and other Americans classified as wrongfully detained in foreign countries.