It’s almost impossible to have not heard about the return of Brittney Griner. The WNBA star also played ball in the National Russian League and was detained in early 2022 for allegedly carrying cartridges containing less than a gram of hash oil, which is illegal in Russia. But the detainment and return brought back into focus the ongoing fight to bring back U.S. Marine Veteran Paul Whelan, who has been held in Russia since December 28, 2018, on suspicion of spying. However, like anything involving the U.S. and Russia, things are more complicated than they appear on the surface.
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Who Is Paul Whelan?
Paul Whelan is a Veteran who served in the USMC with a somewhat complicated past and an uncertain future. Following his military career, Whelan would move on to work in the security sector, which is exactly how he found himself in Russia.
Acting as Director of Global Security and Investigations for BorgWarner, Whelan was detained by Russian authorities because they believed him to be a spy. There are a couple of reasons for this, but so far, the United States has yet to receive direct evidence of such crimes.
Despite this, Whelan is still in Russia and in prison. While there was pressure to work to bring him home along with Griner, nothing has come of it so far. The problem, however, has been that Russia is not treating the two cases nearly the same.
For starters, while both are illegal, Russia is taking Whelan’s case a bit more seriously, as they believe him to be a detriment to national security. On the other hand, the U.S. believes that despite the attention Griner brought to such issues, Whelan is thought to be a pawn in a political chess match between the two nations.
Paul Whelan told CNN he is “disappointed” that more has not been done to secure his release, and he has every right to be. But the truth is, there are a lot of factors at play, with conditions sadly only getting worse.
Why Is Paul Whelan in Russian Prison?
Russia claims that Paul Whelan was conducting espionage as a spy for America. Here are some of the critical details surrounding the case:
- The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) arrested Whelan after his twin arrived in Moscow on December 22, 2018, using a U.S. passport.
- Less than a week later, Paul Whelan was arrested at his hotel.
- During a time away from the hotel, he was given a USB drive believed to have classified information.
It’s worth noting that beyond his service with the U.S. military and work as a security professional, Whelan is also a citizen of multiple countries, including the U.S., Canada, Ireland, and Britain.
Tensions With Russia Add to the Complications
The Paul Whelan/Russia relationship is only getting more complicated. This is a non-surprising, yet interesting, parallel that works in a similar manner to the U.S./Russian relationship as geopolitical rivals.
Tensions with the Russian government have been rising for quite some time, yet they were brought back to Cold War-era levels thanks to the invasion of Russia into Ukraine on February 24, 2022 – a week after Griner’s arrest.
The United States, NATO, and many others are calling for peace in Europe while Russia persists in its attack. This has made any and every move within the nation come under even more scrutiny. It has also made it more difficult for collaboration between the two countries.
This is part of why bringing Paul Whelan home has been such a difficult issue. Even with nearly four years under his belt, Whelan is still looking at 12 more years in a Russian prison. During a time of distrust among governments, it would make sense as to why they are keeping an American “spy” in captivity.
Brittney Griner Comes Home
The Brittney Griner/Paul Whelan connection throughout 2022 is important and shows more than we have time to speak on. Yet, at the forefront are the complexities of prison exchanges, particularly with nations at war with U.S. interests.
Griner’s return thrust U.S./Russian relations into the forefront in ways that were less than positive, yet not dealing directly with war. The invasion of Ukraine isn’t the only rift between the two nations, and in 2022, both were presented in all of their ugly glory.
A peaceful Europe is a plus for the United States. Ukraine may not be a part of NATO, but the aggressions over the last few years could change things down the line. This move, if ever possible, would only further enrage the current regime of Russia.
Such themes continue to entangle the two nations while raising the prisoner exchanges’ profiles. On one side is a nation that refuses to budge and is either serving what it deems justice or using a man’s freedom as a bargaining chip in a war that hasn’t gone its way.
The other side has a responsibility to its citizens and is casting doubt on others in its population about its ability to have the backs of Americans when traveling abroad. If there is a plan to bring back Paul Whelan, executing now rather than later would go a long way for all.
How Does the U.S. Get Paul Whelan Home?
Trevor Reed, a former Marine from Texas, was freed from Russia in a prisoner swap in April 2022, but the exchange was unable to see Whelan also find his way home. Many have been critical of the government for not doing more to bring Whelan back to the states, especially now that others have had success.
Paul Whelan and Trevor Reed were always going to have a connection. From the military service in the same branch to the arrest for use in an exchange by Russia, the parallels were simple. Griner’s exchange didn’t have the same parallels, but it kept the conversation going throughout 2022.
What is the plan to get Paul Whelan home, and is it still applicable now that so much has happened this year? Guilty or not, it’s obvious that for Americans to have good faith, a return would be a great opportunity to instill that sentiment. It would also bring someone, imperfect as they may be, who was willing to serve his country and defend our freedoms, back home.
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