Who is Paul Whelan and why is he in Russia? (2024)

FORMER US marine Paul Whelan has been detained in Russia since December 2018.

He is one of several Americans who are still being held in Russian prisons as Trevor Reed was released on April 27, 2022.

Who is Paul Whelan?

Paul Whelan is a former marine and citizen of the US, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Ireland.

He grew up in Novi, Michigan but was born in Canada to British parents who moved his family to the US only a few years after he was born.

In 1994, Whelan joined the US Marine Corps and was deployed twice during the Iraq war in 2004 and 2006.

He made it to the rank of staff sergeant but was discharged in 2008 for bad conduct, BBC reported in 2020.

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After his discharge, Whelan went to work for Kelly Services, and in 2010 he was promoted to the senior manager of global security and investigations.

He moved on to work for BorgWarner, a US-based automotive components supplier in 2016.

Why did Paul Whelan go to Russia?

Prior to his arrest, Whelan had frequented Russia and first visited Moscow in 2006.

It was reportedly because of Whelan's frequent visits to Russia that a friend and fellow marine invited Whelan to attend his wedding.

His brother, David Whelan, told the BBC in 2020, that Whelan was a good friend and when he was invited to the wedding, he didn't question it and went.

"Paul is a very generous person and a very loyal friend and in that role, a friend of his had asked him to come to Russia and help with the wedding party," David Whelan said.

"His experience of having already been to the Kremlin and having already walked around Red Square and navigating the metro, his friend felt Paul could assist a bunch of Americans who hadn't otherwise ever been to Moscow."

Why is Paul Whelan being detained in Russia?

Whelan was in his hotel room on December 28, 2018, when he was arrested for alleged espionage.

Russian authorities said Whelan had confidential documents in his room and was given a 16-year sentence.

"It's a bit tragic," David Whelan said in an interview with NPR. "The night of the wedding, before the wedding even started, he was entrapped by the security services, by a friend who he had had in Russia.

"And he disappeared. And that's when we first learned about it."

Whelan has since claimed his arrest was a political stunt, according to ABC News and he said, "The guards call me 'Tourist.'"

He spent 18 months in detention while he awaited trial and said when he was first arrested, he didn't believe it was happening.

"I wasn't sure if it was real. I didn't know if friends of mine would have set up a gag or not," Whelan told ABC News from a prison camp in central Russia.

"It obviously became, you know, quite real," he added.

Meanwhile, David Whelan has said the allegations against his brother are nonsense.

He told the BBC, "I can't imagine how someone with a law enforcement background who is also a former US Marine, and who is now working in corporate security and is also aware of the risks of travel, would have broken any law let alone the law related to espionage."

Is Paul Whelan being released?

President Joe Biden released Konstantin Yaroshenko, who was arrested on drug smuggling charges in 2010, in exchange for Trevor Reed, another former marine.

Although Whelan and his family were glad to hear Reed was sent back to the US, they questioned why he is still detained in Russia.

"Why was I left behind?" Whelan said in a statement to his parents that was shared with CNN.

"While I am pleased Trevor is home with his family, I have been held on a fictitious charge of espionage for 40 months.

“The world knows this charge was fabricated. Why hasn’t more been done to secure my release?”

Biden has said his administration will work to secure Whelan's release but David Whelan said he isn't optimistic.

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“I am glad that President Biden reiterated this morning his vow to bring Paul home. Because otherwise, it feels as though his pledge ‘not to walk away' from Paul, given last summer in Geneva, feels hollow today,” he told CNN.

The White House Press Secretary, Jen Psaki, said on April 27, “We will continue to advocate for the immediate and unconditional release of Paul Whelan at every opportunity, and using wrongful detention as a bargaining chip represents a threat to the safety of everyone traveling, working and living abroad.”