A rare look at an American detained in a Russian prison was seen courtesy of Russian state-controlled news agency Russia Today (RT). Paul Whelan can be seen on video in a Russian prison uniform in different parts of the prison. There are shots of him using a sewing machine and eating in a cafeteria.

After viewing the RT video, his brother David Whelan said, “Today was the first time I’ve seen what he really looks like since June 2020.” He released a statement.

“Today was the first time I’ve seen what he really looks like since June 2020,” Whelan’s brother David Whelan said in a statement seen by CBS News. “So thank you, Russia Today, because although your reporting is the worst sort of propaganda and you are the mouthpiece for war criminals, at least I could see what Paul looks like after all of these years.”

David said in the emailed statement that when his brother declined a previous interview request from RT in May, “prison staff retaliated against him after he didn’t participate.”

“I wish I could see Paul under better circumstances. But it was good to see him again and to see the fight remains in his eyes,” wrote his brother. “It is good to know Paul remains unbowed.”

Whelan was sentenced to 16 years in prison on an espionage charge. He denies any wrongdoing. Whelan holds US, Irish, British, and Canadian citizenship. He was detained at a Moscow hotel in December 2018 by Russian authorities who claimed he was involved in an intelligence operation.

Whelan is a former Marine. Last year he told CNN, “I was arrested for a crime that never occurred. I don’t understand why I’m still sitting here.” People following the story don’t understand why he is still being held in a Russian prison, either. It was hoped that Whelan would be released when two other Americans were earlier this year. WNBA player Brittney Griner was released as a single detainee in December 2022, as was Trevor Reed who was released in April 2022. No reason was given as to why Whelan was not a part of either prisoner swaps made to secure the release of Griner and of Reed.

The Biden administration determined that Whelan is “wrongfully detained”, which frees up additional resources with which to work on his release.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke by phone with the imprisoned Whelan in mid-August, telling him to “keep the faith” and promising that the U.S. government was “doing everything we can to bring you home as soon as possible,” according to a source familiar with the call who spoke with CBS News.

The White House and State Department are also working on the release of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, also charged with espionage. However, Jake Sullivan, national security adviser said in July that discussions “have not produced a clear pathway to a resolution.”

President Biden said last month that he was “serious” about pursuing a prisoner exchange when asked about Gershkovich’s detention in Russia.

“I’m serious about doing all we can to free Americans being illegally held in Russia, or anywhere else for that matter, and that process is underway,” Mr. Biden told reporters during a news conference in Helsinki, Finland.

The failure to secure Paul Whelan’s release so far has been a big disappointment. He has been detained more than four years. Joe Biden has not had a lot of notable success in prisoner releases. He is depending on prisoner swaps. The United States doesn’t have any high value Russian prisoners now so Biden has to reach out to other countries for help. The previous administration had great success in prison releases. Perhaps the State Department should ask for some advice from the negotiators in the last administration.

Also, conspicuously absent from talk about American prisoners is Marc Fogel, an American schoolteacher who had been teaching in Russia at an American school for several years. He was arrested in August 2021 by Russian authorities on drug charges, very similar to the case of Brittney Griner. Fogel is 62-years-old. He was sentenced to 14 years in prison.