White House Calls Physical Threat to American Prisoner Paul Whelan in Russia 'Very Concerning'

The coordinator for strategic communications at the White House National Security Council on Thursday described recent reports regarding the 'physical threat' to Paul Whelan, a former U.S. Marine imprisoned in Russia on charges of 'espionage', as 'very concerning'. According to Reuters, John Kirby told reporters, 'We will continue our efforts through our embassy in Moscow to ensure his access to consular services and that we can address these concerns with our Russian counterparts.' Paul Whelan, who denies the espionage charges, was arrested on December 28, 2018, by the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) at the Metropol Hotel in Moscow. The Russian prison service announced on November 29 that Paul Whelan had been attacked by another inmate. According to Reuters, this news was released by the Russian agency after one of Paul Whelan's brothers had informed about it. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken previously stated that Russian officials had secretly tried Whelan, calling his detention 'unacceptable' and stating that Washington would pressure Moscow for his immediate release at every opportunity. Some media speculation suggests that Paul Whelan and also Evan Gershkovich, an American journalist who has also been accused of espionage in Russia, may be released as part of a prisoner exchange agreement between the two countries in the near future. Putin reiterated false claims against detained Americans in Russia. Paul Whelan, a former American military officer, was attacked in a Russian prison. The U.S. State Department stated that Evan Gershkovich has been wrongfully detained by Russia. Russian officials have called for the addition of a murderer to the prisoner exchange proposal. The U.S. has offered a prisoner exchange to Russia.