International- WNBA star Britney Griner was freed from Russia in a one-for-one prisoner swap Thursday.
- Paul Whelan, a former US Marine still detained in a Russian prison, was not included in the swap.
Paul Whelan, a former US Marine jailed in Russia since 2018, likely has lost "any hope" that he'll be freed from a Russian prison, his family said after WNBA Britney Griner was released Thursday as part of a prisoner exchange.
David Whelan told CNN that his brother's hopes "soared with the knowledge that the US government was taking concrete steps for once towards his release." Paul had even been thinking about where he'd live in the US once he was back home.
"And now what? How do you continue to survive, day after day, when you know that your government has failed twice to free you from a foreign prison? I can't imagine he retains any hope that a government will negotiate his freedom at this point," Whelan said. "It's clear that the US government has no concessions that the Russian government will take for Paul Whelan. And so Paul will remain a prisoner until that changes."
Whelan said that while it was "wonderful news" that Griner — an American — was freed, he worries that his brother won't survive 12 more years in the Russian prison system, and is concerned for his health.
The US government announced Thursday that Griner, the basketball superstar, was released in a one-for-one prisoner exchange with notorious Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.
President Joe Biden published photographs of him embracing Griner's wife, Cherelle, at the White House, and said Brittney is "safe" and "on her way home."
"While we celebrate Brittney's release, Paul Whelan and his family continue to suffer needlessly. Despite our ceaseless efforts, the Russian Government has not yet been willing to bring a long overdue end to his wrongful detention," Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.
He continued: "I wholeheartedly wish we could have brought Paul home today on the same plane with Brittney. Nevertheless, we will not relent in our efforts to bring Paul and all other U.S. nationals held hostage or wrongfully detained abroad home to their loved ones where they belong."
Whelan, a veteran, has been jailed on espionage charges in 2018 and sentenced to 16 years in prison.
"We celebrate the long overdue return of Brittney Griner and her safe return home to her wife, family, teammates, and the WNBPA who fought for her relentlessly. While we celebrate Brittney's homecoming, our hearts break for the Whelan family," Jonathan Franks, a spokesperson for the Bring Our Families Home Campaign, said in a statement.
Bring Our Families Home said Whelan has been "let down and left behind at least three times by two Presidents. He deserves better from his government, and our Campaign implores President Biden to urgently secure Paul's immediate return using all tools available."