“Ten days are given in criminal procedure for appeal (sentence). He was sentenced on June 15, entered into legal force on the 26th. As for the exchange, politicians are engaged in this, a long procedure. We did not appeal the verdict, so as not to waste time, ”said Zherebenkov.
On June 15, a court convicted Whelan of espionage against Russia and sentenced him to 16 years in a maximum security colony.
In December 2018, the FSB stated that the man was detained during an espionage campaign in Moscow.