Public relations expert who met with U.S. reporter Evan Gershkovich detained

In Yekaterinburg, police detained public relations expert Yaroslav Shirshikov. According to a source close to law enforcement, Shirshikov faces charges of justifying terrorism. His detention may be connected to a post he made on Telegram calling the pro-war blogger Vladlen Tatarsky a “scumbag.”

Shirshikov had previously met with Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich while he was in Yekaterinburg and was one of the first to raise concern over Gershkovich’s disappearance. The publicist said that Gershkovich planned to write about locals’ attitudes toward the invasion of Ukraine.