Freed American Paul Whelan opens up about life inside a Russian labor camp
Paul Whelan, who was arrested in Russia in 2018, got little sleep and used secret cellphones to communicate with prisoners sent to the frontlines in Ukraine.
Watch CBS News
Paul Whelan, who was arrested in Russia in 2018, got little sleep and used secret cellphones to communicate with prisoners sent to the frontlines in Ukraine.
In his first sit-down interview since his release from Russia, Paul Whelan said being left behind twice in prisoner swaps played with his mind.
The Marine veteran was released in August as part of a complex deal with Russia.
The village of Manchester came together Thursday to celebrate the return of Paul Whelan, who was released exactly two weeks ago after spending nearly six years as a prisoner in Russia.
Danny Fenster, who was imprisoned in Myanmar in 2021, summed up his return back home as surreal.
A plane carrying Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan and Alsu Kurmasheva landed at a military base in Maryland after they were freed by Russia in a prisoner exchange.
The Biden administration announced the release of three U.S. citizens from Russia, including Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan and Alsu Kurmasheva, as part of a complex 24-person prisoner swap.
There are many smiles in the village of Manchester, where Paul Whelan's parents live. The tight-knit community is breathing a sigh of relief, hearing that Whelan is finally coming home.
Whelan has been held in Russia since December 2018, when he traveled to the country to attend a friend's wedding.
Michigan officials are reacting to the news that the Biden administration secured the release of Marine veteran Paul Whelan.
Family members of Paul Whelan, who has been in a Russian prison for nearly five years, have now gone to Washington, D.C., to speak with officials and advocate for his return.
A court in Russia has sentenced U.S. national Robert Woodland to more than 12 years in prison on drug charges, his lawyer says.
Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich went on trial behind closed doors in Russia on espionage charges he, the Journal and Washington vehemently deny. A conviction is considered almost certain.
A Moscow court says a U.S. man has been jailed for drunkenly crashing through a kid's library window, as an American soldier is also detained.
Russian President Vladimir Putin implied he wanted to make a prisoner swap in an interview with Tucker Carlson.
The State Department recently said the U.S. made a "significant" proposal for the release of Americans Paul Whelan and Evan Gershkovich that was rejected by Russia.
A Russian court says a U.S. national identified as Robert Romanov Woodland has been detained on drug charges that carry a possible 20-year prison sentence.
Today, Dec. 28, marks five years since Russian authorities detained Michigan native and former Marine Paul Whelan, and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says they will "not rest until he is safely back with his family where he belongs."
Whelan was first detained by Russian authorities in December 2018 while attending a friend's wedding. He was convicted in 2020 of espionage and sentenced to 16 years of hard labor.
American Paul Whelan, imprisoned in Russia for 5 years, says it's "unfathomable to me that they've left me behind."
Vladimir Putin held his first end-of-year news conference since Russia invaded Ukraine in early 2022.
Novi native Paul Whelan remains in a Russian prison.
Paul Whelan, an American businessman, has been wrongfully detained in Russia since 2018, and his brother is calling on President Joe Biden to get him released.
The State Department said "a number of proposals" have been made to secure the release of the wrongfully detained Americans.
Paul Whelan's family said a fellow prisoner hit him in the face and broke his glasses after he asked him to move out of the way.
