WASHINGTON, Dec 8 Convicted of spying in Russia Paul Whelan said he was «disappointed» with the efforts of the Joe Biden administration to free him and surprised that he was not included in the exchange list.
«I am very disappointed that more has not been done for my release, especially since that the fourth anniversary of my arrest is approaching. I was arrested for a crime that was never committed,» Whelan said in a telephone conversation with CNN while in a penal colony.
«I don't understand why I'm still in prison here,» the American added.
When asked if he was surprised that he was not included in the prisoner exchange list, Whelan answered positively.
Whelan also added that he considers himself a prisoner of a different «level» than Trevor Reid and Brittney Griner.
«They put me on a higher level than Trevor (Reed) and Brittney (Greiner). They're trying to get something out of the United States that the United States might not be able to provide, but that's just political extortion,» he told the TV channel. was also charged with espionage.
Whelan was detained in Moscow during what the FSB reported was a spy operation in late 2018. The defense claims that the American was the victim of a provocation: he was handed a flash drive on which he allegedly expected to see tourist trip to Sergiev Posad near Moscow. The defendant himself in the last word said that he was not engaged in espionage. He was sentenced to 16 years in prison and sent to serve his sentence in a colony in Mordovia.