Paul Whelan says he feels 'abandoned' by the United States

For 1,571 days, Paul Whelan of Novi has been detained in Russia. He was arrested in 2018 and charged with espionage in 2020. His family says his spirits were at first high as he was optimistic that the U.S. declared him wrongfully detained and would set him free. But that confidence is dwindling as Paul still waits for freedom behind bars. “Unfortunately he may have to survive 16 years the entirety of his sentence, but we hope that’s not the case,” David Whelan said.