The State Department declares Evan Gershkovich ‘wrongfully detained’ by Russia.

The State Department on Monday designated Evan Gershkovich, the Wall Street Journal reporter arrested in Russia and charged with espionage earlier this month, as “wrongfully detained,” a finding that means the U.S. government sees him as the equivalent of a political hostage and reflects its belief that the charges are fabricated.

Mr. Gershkovich was arrested by Russian security services in late March and formally charged last week with espionage, an accusation that his employer vehemently denies.

A finding of wrongful detention changes the U.S. government’s approach to the imprisonment of an American citizen abroad, including by transferring primary responsibility for such cases to the office of the presidential envoy for hostage affairs. The classification can be based on any one of several findings by the government, including that the prisoner was detained on arbitrary grounds, or is not facing legitimate charges or a fair judicial process.

Mr. Blinken hinted at the determination when asked about Mr. Gershkovich during a visit to Brussels last week.

“In my own mind, there is no doubt that he is being wrongfully detained by Russia,” he said, noting that an internal process was still underway to reach that conclusion on an official basis.

Monday’s statement about Mr. Gershkovich also reflected a concern among U.S. officials that his case appears to signal an even more severe Kremlin crackdown on independent media and the free flow of information within the country.