Paul Whelan, Former American Military Personnel, Attacked in Russian Prison

On Wednesday, December 8, the Russian prison service announced that Paul Whelan, a former member of the U.S. Marine Corps imprisoned in Russia, was attacked by another inmate. According to Reuters, this news comes after one of Whelan's brothers had informed about the attack. Dave Whelan, Paul Whelan's brother, stated, "He denies spying for Russia and was attacked in a sewing workshop at a high-security prison in the Mordovia region of Russia, southeast of Moscow, and had to defend himself." Dave Whelan further added that the attack on his brother was halted by the intervention of other inmates. According to Dave Whelan, this incident occurred on Tuesday afternoon in the prison, and he believes his brother was targeted due to being American, as anti-American sentiments "are not uncommon among prisoners." The Mordovia prison service confirmed the attack on the American inmate in a statement to the Interfax news agency, stating that guards quickly intervened to stop the "illegal actions." Both inmates were transferred to medical care, and Paul Whelan sustained an injury to his eye. Interfax reported that prison officials are reviewing surveillance camera footage. An anonymous "informed" source stated that Whelan was beaten by "a Turkish inmate due to political disagreements." Paul Whelan was arrested in 2018 in Russia on charges of "espionage" and was sentenced to 16 years in prison by a Russian court in 2020. He and the U.S. government have denied the espionage charges. Washington describes Paul Whelan as a person who is "wrongfully detained." Meanwhile, some speculation suggests that Whelan and Evan Gershkovich, an American journalist accused of espionage in Russia, may be released in the future as part of a prisoner exchange between the two countries. Gershkovich has also denied the espionage charges.