Kirill Kudryavtsev/AFP via Getty
Former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan was still stuck behind bars in Russia even as WNBA star Brittney Griner’s release sparked celebrations early Thursday.
A lawyer for Whelan, who was sentenced to 16 years in June 2020 for what he described as bogus espionage charges, was quoted as telling Russia’s Interfax news agency that Whelan remains at his penal colony as talks on his release continue.
Whelan’s name was initially floated as part of a potential prisoner swap for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, but with Bout’s release in exchange for Griner this week, it’s not clear if that leverage was lost.