- Whelan’s brother described the former Marine’s “deteriorating” health.
- Whelan has been in prison in Russia for five years for alleged espionage.
The family of Paul Whelan, the former Marine currently in a Russian prison, says he is “disintegrating.”
During an interview with News Nation, Whelan’s brother, David Whelan, described the dark state his brother now finds himself in after five years in captivity.
“It is disintegrating and it will continue to do so,” David said.
“His cognitive mental health is deteriorating. We’re starting to get a sense of it in the phone calls. He has physical problems. He has a broken tooth that he can’t fix.
Whelan was detained in Russia just after Christmas 2018, while he was in Russia to attend the wedding of a former U.S. Marine comrade.
He is disintegrating and will continue to do so,” David Whelan said of his brother Paul (pictured).
David, who is Paul’s twin, also said the current and previous administrations failed to figure out how to address the nuances of his brother’s case.
“I think they (the U.S. government) are making this a priority, (but) I think they have failed so far and will continue to fail in their attempt to bring Paul home.”
“They still haven’t solved the puzzle of why Paul’s case is different,” he said.
He hopes the Biden administration will continue to work on this issue, and hopes his brother “stays strong” in the meantime.
Last month, WNBA player Brittney Griner, who was held captive alongside Whelan in Russia for ten months but released in a prisoner exchange arranged by the Biden administration, said she was surprised Whelan didn’t go home with her.
“When they closed the door (on the plane she took home), I was like, ‘Are you serious? You’re not going to let this man come home now?” she said in an interview with ABC.
In July 2022, Griner pleaded guilty to drug charges after transporting vape cartridges containing cannabis oil in his luggage through Sheremetyevo International Airport.
She was ultimately released in a 1-for-1 trade that was specifically criticized for its failure to return Whelan.
Griner was exchanged for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, sometimes known internationally as the “dealer of death.”
Paul Whelan, a former U.S. Marine accused of espionage and arrested in Russia, stands in the defendant’s cage during a hearing at a Moscow court on August 23, 2019.
The deal drew criticism from Republicans, who were upset that the White House also failed to secure Whelan. In response to attacks from the right, White House officials acknowledged that prisoner swaps were costly, adding that they felt obligated to bring Griner home while they had the chance.
In her interview with GMA, Griner spoke with Robin Roberts about the awareness she’s trying to bring to other Americans detained overseas, including Whelan and Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was also arrested in 2023 for alleged accusations of espionage.
In 2022, David Whelan said he feared his brother would never come home.
“I think we all realize that the math is not going to work out for Paul to come home anytime soon unless the U.S. government can find some concessions,” David Whelan said. “And so I think we’re not really sure which way to go.”
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