Paul Whelan, who spent five-and-a-half years wrongfully detained in Russia, revealed Tuesday that he had spent the final five days leading up to his release in solitary confinement.
“I couldn’t leave my cell, but I made it home,” he said in his first public comments since returning from Russia and completing the US government readjustment program known as PISA.
“It was due to people like my parents, who grew up in England during the war. It was that kind of, you know, resiliency that saw them through their childhood in England, and that’s how I grew up. So when the Russians abducted me from my hotel room, I just put that same sort of resiliency into action,” he said at a press gaggle on Capitol Hill.
He continued: “I went toe-to-toe with them. They were probably glad to see me leave, to be quite honest. But you know, here I am, and I’m starting a new chapter of my life.”
Whelan, a former US Marine, was released in early August as part of a sweeping prisoner exchange carried out between the United States and Russia. A total of eight people were returned to the Kremlin in exchange for the release of 16 people who were held in Russian detention, including four Americans, in the historic swap that was the result of years of complicated behind-the-scenes negotiations involving the US, Russia and Germany.
Whelan said it was great to be back but “there’s a lot ahead.”
“One of the things I’m focused on is getting a new car. So it’s that sort of minutiae that you have to focus on,” he said. “But, you know, I have some plans. We’ll see what materializes. But for now, I’m just kind of getting back into the swing of things, you know, getting adjusted with my parents, getting things in line personally, but, yeah, it’s great to be back.”
Asked by CNN the most surprising part of readjusting to his life after detention, Whelan said it was “trying to navigate the technology.”
“The technology that’s available, electric cars, people being conveyed around with driverless vehicles, electric vehicles, all that sort of thing,” he said.
“I was in a really remote part of Russia. I used to call it ‘Camp Lostinthewoods.’ I mean, it was really remote,” he recounted.
“We really didn’t have much. The conditions were poor. The Russians said the poor conditions were part of the punishment,” he continued. “And, you know, coming back to see this sort of thing now is a bit of a shock, but it’s a good shock.”
Whelan was on Capitol Hill to meet with and thank the lawmakers who helped advocate for his release, including members of the Michigan congressional delegation. Whelan also expressed gratitude for the government agencies who helped secure his release.
Asked what his message is for Marc Fogel, an American who remains imprisoned in Russia, Whelan replied, “We’re coming for you.”
“The United States is not going to let people like me, Marc, Trevor (Reed), Brittney (Griner), languish in foreign prisons. It might take time, but we’re coming for him and everybody else,” he said.