Paul Whelan, a former U.S. Marine jailed in Moscow, almost had a traditional Thanksgiving meal in prison until Russian authorities intervened, State Department officials said Wednesday.
American advocates of Mr. Whelan, a Michigan resident detained in Moscow’s Lefortovo prison since last December, complained that he was unable to receive a turkey dinner delivered by the top official at the U.S. Embassy in Russia.
Rebecca Ross, a press secretary for the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, said on Twitter that Julie Fisher, the embassy’s chargé d’affaires, intended to deliver Mr. Whelan “a taste of home on this important American holiday.”
The tweet was accompanied by a photograph of a packaged turkey dinner slated to be delivered to Mr. Whelan, complete with glazed onions, carrots, green beans, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce and pumpkin bread.
Ms. Ross tweeted again less than 30 minutes later to say that the delivery did not go as expected.
“Russian authorities denied #PaulWhelan the minor comfort of a Thanksgiving dinner today. As American families around the world gather, Paul marks 11 months in prison and can’t even call his parents. This is shameful treatment,” Ms. Ross tweeted.
“Such treatment does not hold water,” the U.S. Embassy added in Russian from its own Twitter account.
Mr. Whelan, 49, has been jailed in Russia following his arrest at a Moscow hotel on Dec. 28, 2018. Russian investigators have accused him of espionage but have yet to produce any evidence to substantial the claim. He has adamantly denied the allegations and previously rejected them as “garbage.”
The Russian Foreign Ministry did not immediately return a message requesting comment.
The House of Representatives passed a resolution last month calling on Russia to either provide evidence of Mr. Whelan’s alleged wrongdoing or to release him from prison. State Department officials have previously made similar requests.
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.