War in Ukraine may stall talks to free Paul Whelan, Michigan man imprisoned in Russia

Negotiations to win the freedom of Michigan businessman Paul Whelan — imprisoned more than three years in Russia following a closed-door trial that convicted him of spying — may be stalled by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The war could "potentially slow down any possible discussions regarding Paul's release," his brother David Whelan told the Free Press Tuesday.

U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Rochester Hills, called on President Joe Biden to address Whelan's imprisonment during his Tuesday night State of the Union speech, saying she remains "deeply concerned" about Whelan and others impacted by Russian aggression.

"I have been working to secure his release alongside my Michigan congressional colleagues and the Whelan family. I implore President Biden to address the false imprisonment of Americans by the Kremlin," Stevens said in a statement.

More: Convicted of spying in Russia, Paul Whelan's family hopes Biden team will free him

"Paul must be protected from Russian retaliation against the United States and brought home to Michigan. We must recognize how much is at stake here for members of our own community who carry the weight of loved ones endangered by Putin's cruelty and act decisively in the face of these continued, baseless assaults.”

While Biden excoriated Russia for the invasion of Ukraine, he did not mention Paul Whelan by name. Even without the State of the Union mention, Paul Whelan's brother brother said the family remains thankful political leaders continue to champion his cause.

"We're grateful as ever for Representative Stevens' support and asking for Paul to be included," he said before the president's speech. "But whether he is or isn't, we're confident that President Biden and the State Department haven't forgotten Paul."

U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, D-Michigan, said Tuesday that he'll also continue to press for Whelan's freedom.

"Here in Michigan, folks know that to stand with Ukraine is to stand for Michiganders of Ukrainian descent and ordinary Americans like Paul Whelan, who has been unjustly imprisoned in a former Russian gulag," Peters said in a statement. "The unprovoked and illegal Russian invasion of Ukraine is an assault on democratic principles and the rights of free people everywhere."

A former Marine who lived in Novi and worked in global security for auto-parts supplier BorgWarner, Paul Whelan was arrested Dec. 28, 2018 in his room at the Metropol Hotel in Moscow.

He was in Russia to attend the wedding of a friend, but Russian authorities allege they caught him with classified information and charged him with espionage.

Whelan, his family and U.S. officials say the charges were false, and that he was wrongly convicted in a closed-door trial in June 2020 and sentenced to 16 years hard labor.

More: Accused spy Paul Whelan would not be first American set up by Russians

More: Paul Whelan and family continue to fight a year after he's accused of spying in Russia

The conditions in the IK-17 labor camp in Mordovia are grim, David Whelan said.

"Paul continues (to) be woken up throughout the night — blanket pulled back, light shone on his face, photo taken — because he has been deemed a flight risk," David Whelan said in a February email to journalists. "Imagine having to endure broken sleep for 18 months and counting?

"The prison commissary has stopped selling stamps and envelopes, making it harder for Paul to be able to communicate with our family. He has also been prohibited from making daytime calls to the U.S. and other embassies during their operating hours. This makes it difficult for him to have any consular communication since he can only call approved embassy numbers."

More: Lawmaker: 'Use any and all tools at your disposal' to free Paul Whelan from Russian prison

His sister, Elizabeth Whelan, said the family has weekly calls with the U.S. Embassy in Moscow and the Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs in Washington, D.C., to monitor Paul Whelan's health and well-being at the labor camp.

"However, families of hostages and wrongful detainees are not given much in the way of detail as to any efforts that might be underway to bring our loved ones home," she said.

Little has changed inside the prison for Whelan after Russia began its attack on Ukraine, David Whelan said; his brother has been allowed to continue to make daily calls to their parents.

"Since the Russian government is denying to their citizens that there is any war, there hasn't been any real change within the prison," David Whelan told the Free Press Tuesday.

But as the financial system in Russia shudders under pressure from Western sanctions, some prisoners are having troubles accessing funds, he said.

"Fortunately, we took the invasion warnings seriously and transferred as much as we could to Paul's prison account and his phone card," David Whelan said. "If sanctions block our ability to get money to him, or the U.S. Embassy is kicked out of Moscow, at least he has some resources for awhile. Paul told our parents that other prisoners are having problems getting money to their accounts already."

U.S. Sen. Jim Risch, R-Idaho, ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, took to Twitter Tuesday to post about his concern for Whelan and Trevor Reed, another former Marine detained in Russia, amid the war with Ukraine.

"I am increasingly concerned about the safety and security of Americans in #Russia. #Putin should refrain from using Americans as pawns in his political games and release @FreePaulWhelan and @FreeTrevorReed immediately," the tweet said.

David Whelan said the family remains hopeful.

"The U.S. and Russian Federation have not been on good terms for the entirety of Paul's wrongful detention," he said. "But they've still been able to work on a variety of issues: cybersecurity, nuclear arms, and so on. I expect that the U.S. and Russia will continue to be able to discuss possible solutions to Paul's case, even if neither is willing to make any concessions while Russia commits war crimes and is under sanctions.

"I am hopeful that the implementation of so many sanctions may make Paul's eventual release more likely."

It's important, he said, for the U.S. government to keep sanctions against Russia in place as long as his brother and Reed remain imprisoned.

"Not swapped or exchanged, but just let go," he said.

Contact Kristen Shamus: kshamus@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @kristenshamus.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: War in Ukraine may slow Paul Whelan's release from Russian prison camp