Japanese journalist detained

Where things stand

Russia's FSB says it detained a reporter for Japan's Hokkaido Shimbun on Sakhalin on espionage suspicion and moved the journalist to Moscow, where a court ordered detention, according to Meduza. TASS alleges the reporter gathered information on mobilized soldiers; the New York Times says the reporter covered military recruitment.

Russia has repeatedly detained foreign journalists and citizens of countries it considers unfriendly on espionage charges since launching its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Japan has joined Western sanctions on Russia, and relations between the two countries have deteriorated sharply.