US ambassador visits American Paul Whelan at Russian prison

MOSCOW (AP) — The U.S. ambassador to Russia has visited Michigan corporate security executive Paul Whelan in a remote Russian prison. “Paul has been wrongfully detained in Russia for more than four years, and his release remains an absolute priority,” Ambassador Lynne Tracy wrote on Twitter that securing Whelan’s freedom “remains an absolute priority” and the U.S. government “will continue to engage Russian authorities on his case.” Tracy didn’t comment on Whelan’s condition or say what she discussed with the retired U.S. Marine. Whelan was detained in 2018 and is serving a 16-year sentence for espionage. He and Washington deny he spied in Russia.