RUSSIA (WXYZ) — After spending more than five years in a Russian prison, former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan will be freed as part of a prisoner swap.
According to ABC News, Russia and United States have agreed to swap prisoners, citing a senior Biden administration official. As part of the swap, Russia will also release Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich.
This swap allows the two wrongfully detained Americans held in Moscow to return home.
WATCH BELOW: Paul Whelan's Russian imprisonment reaches 5 years
Whelan, who lived Novi, was arrested in 2018 in Russia and charged with espionage. He was convicted in 2020 and sentenced to 16 years in prison.
The 54-year-old was a corporate security director and former Marine when he was detained in Moscow in 2018 and then convicted in 2020.
“Unfortunately he may have to survive 16 years the entirety of his sentence, but we hope that’s not the case,” Paul's brother, David Whelan, said in 2023.
We have reached out to Whelan's family and the White House for more information; as of the publishing of this article, we have yet to hear back.
