Paul Whelan, a former US Marine who is being held in a Russian jail on spying accusations, told the BBC that he feels “abandoned” and betrayed by his own country for failing to bring him back home.
Whelan, 53, was found guilty of espionage and sentenced to 16 years in prison after what U.S. authorities have called a botched trial. He has been incarcerated since 2018 and is currently serving his jail time in Mordavia, a notoriously harsh zone about 400 kilometers (250 miles) southeast of Moscow.
“They’ve basically abandoned me here,” Whelan confessed BBC. “I’m extremely concerned (…). With each case, my case is going to the back of the line. They’ve kind of just left me in the dust. And at this point, this juncture, it’s very concerning.”
Whelan is one of the most high profile American citizens currently imprisoned in Russia along with Wall Street Journal correspondent Evan Gershkovich. The latter, arrested last March in Yekaterinburg for espionage, is still awaiting trial and risks a maximum of 20 years in prison. A Moscow court decided on December 14 that Gershkovich would remain under arrest until January 30.
Russian President Vladimir Putin stated earlier this month that he hoped Washington and Moscow might work out a way to free both Whelan and Gershkovich. However, according to the US State Department, Russia has rejected every US offer for Gershkovich and Whelan’s release thus far.
