US inmate Paul Whelan seen in rare video published by state media from Russian prison

Paul Whelan, an American who has been detained in a Russian prison for more than four years, is featured in a recently released video.

The video, which was put out by a Russian news agency called Russia Today (RT), shows Whelan wearing a Russian prison uniform and doing various activities inside the prison. It includes footage of him using a sewing machine and eating in a cafeteria.

In the video, he tells a reporter from a media outlet supported by the Kremlin that he cannot do an interview. This means he cannot answer any questions.

Whelan, who has citizenship from the United States, Ireland, Britain, and Canada, was taken into custody by Russian authorities at a hotel in Moscow in December 2018. They accused him of being part of a spy mission.

The ex-Marine from the United States was found guilty of spying and has been given a jail term of 16 years, even though he strongly denies the accusation. He said to CNN in a special interview last year that he was taken into custody for a crime that didn’t actually happen. “I don’t get why I’m still here. ”

David Whelan, the brother of RT, said that he finally got to see what RT actually looks like for the first time since June 2020 after watching the released video.

David said that the RT crew went to the prison to film Whelan in May. He also stated that the prison staff did something to Whelan as revenge because he didn’t want to do an interview.

I want to see Paul in a better situation. However, it was nice to see him again and to see that he still has the determination in his eyes. “It’s good to know that Paul is still strong,” David said.

Earlier this month, the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, talked to Whelan, who the US government believes has been wrongly kept in custody, as informed by a source familiar with the conversation.

The United States tried to set free Whelan by exchanging prisoners like they did with Trevor Reed in April and Brittney Griner in December, but they were not successful.

The Biden administration has suggested ideas for Whelan to be set free, but Russia has not given a clear response, according to two officials in the administration who spoke to CNN.

One important person in the US government said that because of the lack of a response and the unfair holding of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich earlier this year, the US has to keep looking for another offer to make. This is true even though the US still thinks its current proposal is still a good option.

The Biden government is searching worldwide for deals that might convince Russia to release the two Americans who are being held unfairly, as reported by CNN earlier this year. US officials, who used to work for the US government, have said that there are no important Russian spies currently being held by the US. This means that they have to ask other countries for assistance.

In May, during another special phone call with CNN, Whelan stated that he believes his case is important to the US government. However, he hopes that it can be resolved more quickly. He was worried that if the US helps Gershkovich get out, he might be left behind again.