OAN Staff Blake Wolf
5:16 PM – Friday, October 18, 2024
Former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, who has been detained in Russia since 2018 on espionage charges, recently stated that WNBA star Brittney Griner was a “great help” in advocating for his freedom from Russia’s grasps.
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Whelan was finally released alongside Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich in a historic prison exchange, which took place in August.
The former U.S. Marine was captured in Russia after traveling to Moscow to attend a friend’s wedding. He was eventually sentenced to 16 years in prison.
In his first interview since the release, Whelan recently discussed the entire experience. Whelan disclosed that he was informed by Russian intelligence that he was being exploited as a “political pawn.” However, Whelan and the United States have repeatedly denied the espionage claims that led to his imprisonment.
Nevertheless, Whelan was not a part of the first U.S.-Russia prisoner exchange, which took place in December 2022. Rather, the Biden administration negotiated the release of Griner and former Marine Trevor Reed, who were both detained following Whelans incarceration.
Griner had been traded for the notorious Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, who is known as the “Merchant of Death,” after Griner was caught with vape cartridges that contained cannabis oil in 2022.
“Brittney was a great help after she came home,” Whelan stated. “Within days of her getting home, she was talking to people about how they could support me, and she had people making monetary donations, sending cards, sending letters, offering all sorts of support.”
Whelan recounted noticing a women’s basketball game on TV after he touched down at the Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.
“And as I’m looking, I said, ‘Hey, look, it’s Brittney. Brittney’s on TV… It was one of those incredible moments where you’re, you know – you’re finally connecting things,” Whelan added.
Additionally, Whelan revealed that he has been suffering from PTSD as a result of his incarceration.
“From Day 1, I was being told that there would be a trade, a political solution to this situation. But as it dragged on, it did play with my mind,” he continued. “There was a psychological piece to this … even though now, I seem like I’m doing OK; I’ve put back on some of the weight that I lost.”
The August release of Whelan marks one of the largest swaps since the end of the Cold War, involving several nations, including: the United States, Russia, Poland, Germany, Slovenia and Norway.
The international trade resulted in the release of 16 prisoners being held in Russian captivity, which included political prisoners who were allied with the now-deceased Russian political opposition leader Alexei Navalny, along with Western countries releasing eight Russians.
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