Who is Paul Whelan and is he involved in the prisoner swap with Russia? – NBC New York

Following reports of a possible prisoner exchange between the U.S., Russia and other countries, questions have again arisen about whether Paul Whelan will return to the U.S.

A prisoner swap took place on Thursday between the United States, Russia and other countries, according to NBC News, citing a senior Biden administration official.

Details about who was included in the exchange are not yet known, but two high-profile American prisoners in Russia include Wall Street Journal journalist Evan Gershkovich and former U.S. Marine Whelan.

Whelan’s name made headlines in 2022 when he was left out of the trade that freed WNBA star Brittney Griner from Russian custody. Griner’s family was quick to point out Whelan’s absence from the deal and called for his return.

So who is Whelan and why was he taken prisoner?

Who is Paul Whelan?

Whelan is a Michigan corporate security executive who was sentenced to nearly four years in prison in Russia on espionage charges that his family and the U.S. government have called unfounded.

Whelan, a former Marine who later worked as a corporate security executive, was arrested in Moscow in December 2018. Whelan, 54, was visiting Russia for a friend’s wedding.

His lawyer said Whelan was given a flash drive that contained classified information he had no idea about.

Whelan has been in Russia since then and was sentenced to 16 years in prison in 2020. The U.S. government has also said he was wrongly detained.

Why wasn’t he part of Britney Griner’s 2022 lineup?

Early reports indicated that Whelan was part of the original U.S. offer to Russia, which wanted both Griner and Whelan in return. Victor BoutRussian arms dealer who served a 25-year sentence in the US and once earned the nickname “merchant of death.”

Biden said at the time that the United States was not giving up the fight for Whelan and “we will never give up” in the fight to bring him home.

“It wasn’t a choice of which American to take home,” Biden said. “Unfortunately, for completely unfounded reasons, Russia is treating Paul’s case differently than Britney’s.”

Whelan’s brother, David, said in a statement that he was “so happy” about Griner’s release but also disappointed for his family. He credited the White House for notifying Whelan’s family earlier and said he did not blame officials for making the deal.

“The Biden administration made the right decision to bring Ms. Griner home and make a deal that was possible, rather than wait for one that wasn’t going to happen,” he said.

Griner’s wife, Cherelle Griner, acknowledged Thursday that while her family is whole again, “there are so many other families that are not whole.”

“(Brittney Griner) and I will continue to work to ensure every American has a home, including Paul,” she said.

Who is Evan Gershkovich?

American journalist Gershkovich was sentenced last month to 16 years in a maximum-security prison after being found guilty of espionage in a case that his employer, The Wall Street Journal, and the US government have condemned as a farce.

Gershkovich, 32, has denied any wrongdoing in the case, which went to court last month in Yekaterinburg, more than a year after he was arrested in the southern Russian city on espionage charges.

Gershkovich was found guilty of collecting secret information about the activities of an arms company engaged in the production and repair of military equipment at the request of the American intelligence services.