American spy suspect caught in Russia; prisoner swap ruled out

An American by the name of Paul Whelan, an ex-Marine, was detained in Moscow last month on charges of espionage. The Russian government claims he is an an American spy, meanwhile his family maintains he was in Russia for a wedding.

Suggestions of a prisoner exchange have been ruled out by a Russian minister, when the question was raised Whelan’s lawyer.

This page will be updated as the story develops.