WSJ’s Gershkovich staying strong on Thanksgiving

Mike Debonis of Politico writes about Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, detained in a Russian prison.

Debonis writes, “By all accounts, Gershkovich has handled his incarceration with unusual strength. ‘He works very hard at that,’ Beckett said. ‘He exercises, he meditates, he reads, he writes, he keeps himself active to make sure that he keeps his health and composure.’

“He meets regularly with his Russian lawyers and occasionally with U.S. diplomats. He trades letters with his sister, DANIELLE, that run toward celebrity gossip and recounting old episodes of ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.’ And he waits patiently for the kind of breakthrough that so far has been elusive.

“Dow Jones lawyers and executives continue to push officials in President JOE BIDEN’s administration for progress, including the lead official on hostage matters, Special Presidential Envoy ROGER CARSTENS.

“‘We’d like to see more being done,’ said Beckett, whose brief includes exploring what he called “interesting, asymmetrical ways” that could secure Gershkovich’s release: ‘What are ways in which they could release an innocent man in return for something that isn’t just trading a Russian convict somewhere in the world? It may come to that — that’s the way that these things have been done before — but what are other possibilities?'”

Read more here.