Taoiseach Simon Harris praises ‘years of tireless work’ by Irish diplomats in Russia on the case
Paul Whelan, a former US marine, has been freed after being jailed in Russia for alleged spying. Photograph: Sofia Sandurskaya/Moscow News Agency photo via AP/PAin Thursday’s major prisoner exchange between Russia and western governments, highlighting “years of tireless work” by Irish diplomats on the case.
Born in Ottawa, Canada, to British parents of Irish origin, Whelan later moved to Novi, Michigan, and is a citizen of all four countries. He served with the US Marine Corps Reserve from 2003-2008, much of the time as an administrative clerk in Iraq. Mr Whelan denied being a spy, saying he was caught up in a Russian sting operation and that he took the flash drive – assuming it contained holiday photos – during a friend’s wedding in Russia, where he was a regular visitor.
Leon Aron, a Russia specialist at the American Enterprise Institute, also saw “echoes of the cold war,” with Putin’s government using a Soviet tactic of going after dissidents and non-spies to gain leverage for exchanges. The first involved another former US Marine, Trevor Reed, released in exchange for Russian pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko, and the second a swap of notorious Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout for basketball star Griner.
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