The Facts
Paul Whelan, a US citizen and former Marine convicted of espionage in Russia, was seen for the first time in three years Monday when he appeared on the Russian state-funded news channel RT in a video recorded in May.
In the footage, Whelan – who denies the espionage allegations and declined to be interviewed – is seen with other inmates in various areas of the prison in a penal colony in the Mordovia region.
The Spin
Pro-Russia narrative
While Western media acts concerned about US spies in Russian custody, it should focus more on the US hunting Russians in other countries and jailing them by the dozens on trumped-up charges. Washington lives by its own rules, ignoring the interests of other countries, but Moscow will never accept these double standards and will continue to push for the release of its citizens in US custody.
Anti-Russia narrative
While RT is nothing but a Kremlin propaganda mouthpiece, the video at least proves Whelan is healthy and unbroken. At the same time, it underscores yet again how Russia is locking up innocent people to use as political bargaining chips, even while the US isn’t holding any high-level Russian spies. While the US is doing its best to bring its citizens home, it relies on the help of its allies in Moscow's cynical game.
