Former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan said WNBA star Brittney Griner was of “great help” in advocating for his freedom after being detained in Russia since 2018.
Whelan, who was freed alongside Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich in a historic prisoner exchange in early August, said he saw a women’s basketball game airing on TV once he touched down at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland and noticed Griner playing in the Paris Olympics.
“It was one of those incredible moments where you’re, you know — you’re finally connecting things,” Whelan told CBS News “Face the Nation” moderator Margaret Brennan in his first interview since being freed.
“Brittney was a great help after she came home,” Whelan told Brennan. “Within days of her getting home, she was talking to people about how they could support me, and she had people making monetary donations, sending cards, sending letters, offering all sorts of support.”
Whelan reflected on his imprisonment in Russia during the interview and shared that he suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
“From Day 1, I was being told that there would be a trade, a political solution to this situation. But as it dragged on, it did play with my mind,” Whelan said in the interview. “There was a psychological piece to this … even though now, I seem like I’m doing OK; I’ve put back on some of the weight that I lost.”
Whelan was arrested in 2018 when traveling for a friend’s wedding. He was later convicted of spying, charges the U.S., he and his family consistently denied. Whelan was sentenced to 16 years in jail and was designated as “wrongfully detained” by the U.S. government.
Griner was detained in February 2022 by Russian authorities as she was entering Russia. Her bags were searched, and guards found vape cartridges containing cannabis oil. Griner pleaded guilty in July 2022 and was released Dec. 8 of that year in a prisoner swap for a Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, known as the “Merchant of Death.”
CBS News said the rest of the interview will air Sunday on “Face the Nation” at 10:30 a.m. local time.