Russian Court Jails Ex-US Marine for 16 Years over Espionage Charges

The investigation claimed he was caught red-handed after receiving classified data two years ago.

Moscow City Court issued the verdict earlier on Monday, sentencing Paul Whelan to 16 years in jail. Part of the hearing took place behind closed doors, RT reported.

Whelan is set to serve the term in a high-security prison. His defense will appeal the sentence, and the defendant himself said the trial was “political.”

The indictment reportedly alleged that Whelan, who frequently visited Russia, received a USB drive containing a list of active-duty FSB operatives from one of the secret service’s members back in 2018. Whelan was arrested during the rendezvous, which took place at the five-star Hotel Metropol in Moscow.

The defense team insists the American believed he was receiving a flash drive containing photos of a joint event he set up with a Russian friend, rather than the highly classified information. Whelan’s lawyers have consistently claimed he was the victim of a frame-up.

At the end of 2018, Russian authorities detained Paul Whelan, who is also a citizen of the United Kingdom, Canada and Ireland, on charges of espionage.

Whelan has maintained that he is innocent and has insisted that he came to Russia to attend a friend's wedding. According to information provided to the Russian court, Whelan had been visiting Russia regularly since 2007.

According to Sputnik, the Russian Foreign Ministry noted that it has offered different schemes to the US on possible exchange of Whelan.