INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Former United States Marine Paul Whelan says he feels "abandoned" and betrayed by his country after being imprisoned in Russia on espionage
charges, the BBC said in an interview published Wednesday.Whelan, 53, has been behind bars since 2018 and is serving a 16-year sentence for
case is going to the back of the line
They've kind of just left me in the dust
And at this point, this juncture, it's very concerning."Whelan, who also holds U.K., Irish and Canadian passports, worked in security for
a United States vehicle parts company when he was arrested in Moscow in 2018.He has always asserted that the evidence against him was
falsified.He told the BBC that he spends his days stitching work overalls and hats in a prison factory, and that his unheated barracks have
black mold on the walls.In November, Whelan's family said he had been "hit in the face" by a new prisoner, breaking his glasses.Russia and
the United States accuse each other of detaining the other's nationals for political purposes.Earlier in December, Russian President
Vladimir Putin said he wanted Moscow and Washington to reach a solution to release Whelan and detained Wall Street Journal reporter Evan
14, a court in Moscow ruled that Gershkovich, who previously worked for AFP, be held in detention until Jan
30.Gershkovich, 32, was arrested on spying allegations during a reporting trip at the end of March in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg.He,
his employer and the United States government have all rejected the spying allegations
He faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted."There are contacts on this issue and dialogue is ongoing, but it's not straightforward,"
Putin said during his end-of-year press conference on Dec
14."I hope we will find a solution
But the United States side should also hear us and make a decision that will suit the Russian Federation."The United States State
Department said Russia has so far refused all United States offers for the release of Gershkovich and Whelan.
