In his first UK broadcast interview, the Wall Street Journal correspondent said he realised he had been "lured into a trap" when masked men surrounded him at a restaurant in March 2023, and arrested him.

He was later sentenced to 16 years on espionage charges, but released in 2024 as part of a high-profile prisoner exchange.

He and his employer have always maintained that the charges were false, and following his arrest, then-US President Joe Biden said he had "no higher priority" than bringing Gershkovich home.