Freed American Paul Whelan describes years inside Russian prison

Oct 21

Karah Rucker Reporter

By Karah Rucker (Reporter), Alex Delia (Producer), Ian Kennedy (Video Editor)

Former Marine Paul Whelan has shared new details about his over five-year imprisonment in Russia, including allegations of psychological and physical abuse. Whelan, who was released in August as part of a multination prisoner swap, credits WNBA star Brittney Griner for helping keep his case in the public eye.

Bias Distribution Powered by Ground News™

Whelan was arrested in 2018 on charges of espionage that he and U.S. officials have repeatedly denied.

For more than five years, Whelan endured what he described as dire conditions, including insufficient food, medical neglect, and continuous pressure from Russian authorities to confess to spying for the U.S. government.

Download the SAN app today to stay up-to-date with Unbiased. Straight Facts™.

Point phone camera here

Among those advocates was Griner, who herself was detained in Russia in 2022 on drug charges. After her release in a high-profile swap for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, Griner became a vocal supporter of Whelan, using her platform to raise awareness about his continued imprisonment.

Whelan was not part of the 2022 prisoner swap that freed Griner, a decision that left him fearing for his life.

He said he believed being left behind meant the U.S. had effectively signed a “death warrant” for him. However, in August, Whelan’s long-awaited release was secured in a multination agreement, which also freed Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and several other prisoners.

Now back home in Michigan, Whelan is struggling to reintegrate into civilian life. He has described dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder and concerns about finding work after his long absence.

Whelan remains committed to advocating for other Americans who remain detained overseas, much like Griner did for him.

Tags: Brittney Griner, Prison, prisoner swap, Russia, Russia-Ukraine War, Russian Detainment, Viktor Bout, Vladimir Putin, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, WNBA

FORMER MARINE PAUL WHELAN, WHO SPENT MORE THAN FIVE YEARS IMPRISONED IN RUSSIA, IS SPEAKING OUT FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE HIS RETURN TO THE U-S, AND SHARING NEW DETAILS ABOUT HIS EXPERIENCE.

WHELAN VISITED RUSSIA FOR A WEDDING IN 2018… AND WAS ARRESTED ON ESPIONAGE CHARGES THAT BOTH HE AND THE U.S. GOVERNMENT HAVE REPEATEDLY DENIED. FOR MORE THAN FIVE GRUELING YEARS, HE LIVED THROUGH SEVERE PRISON CONDITIONS, FACING PRESSURE FROM RUSSIAN AUTHORITIES TO CONFESS TO ESPIONAGE AND SURVIVING ON MINIMAL FOOD AND MEDICAL ATTENTION, WHILE BEING SUBJECTED TO PSYCHOLOGICAL TORTURE.

Paul Whelan:
the Russian government wanted to put pressure on the United States by treating me badly uh sleep deprivation

is considered torture um what the Russians did in Le fortiva prison it’s the FSB prison in Moscow they kept a light on 24 hours in my cell so sleeping was very difficult at the labor camp for four years um they would come every night or every two hours to my um bed at night and they would wake me up uh they’d shine a lighten my face and take a picture at first they would ask me you know what my name was things like that”

ONE KEY FIGURE ADVOCATING FOR WHELAN’S RELEASE WAS WNBA STAR BRITTNEY GRINER. GRINER, WHO WAS DETAINED IN RUSSIA IN 2022 ON DRUG CHARGES, WAS RELEASED LATER THAT YEAR IN A HIGH-PROFILE PRISONER SWAP FOR RUSSIAN ARMS DEALER KNOWN AS THE ‘MERCHANT OF DEATH,’ VIKTOR BOUT.

I pick up the phone it’s the white house um it’s one of the uh the the officers with the the DHS and he basically tells me um that you know Britney Griner was going home uh that the trade was for Victor Boot and you I asked him Point Blank I said so what else do you have to trade and he said nothing I said you gave up your your negotiation uh platform there’s there’s nothing else how how do you now get me back and he said well you know we’re going to reconvene tomorrow to discuss that and I said you know I said

point blank to him you you realize what you’ve done that you’ve abandoned me here you you have no one to trade”

“uh Britney was a a great help um after she came home you know I think probably

the you know within days of her getting home she she was talking to people about how they could support me”

WHELAN’S RETURN WAS PART OF A YEARS-LONG NEGOTIATION BETWEEN THE U-S, RUSSIA AND GERMANY, SWAPPING 8 RUSSIAN PRISONERS FOR 16 HELD IN RUSSIAN CUSTODY. WHALEN WAS ONE OF FOUR AMERICANS INVOLVED IN THE TRANSACTION.

FOR MORE UNBIASED UPDATES AND STRAIGHT FACTS… DOWNLOAD THE STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS APP OR VISIT SAN DOT COM.

FOR STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS… I’M KARAH RUCKER.