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US spy Whelan learning Russian in detention — watchdog

According to earlier reports, Whelan once had a cellmate, who was a fluent English speaker and helped him to get accustomed to new conditions

MOSCOW, February 9. /TASS/. US citizen Paul Whelan, who is in Russian custody on espionage charges, managed to improve his knowledge of Russian while in detention, said Ivan Melnikov, the executive secretary of the Russian capital’s prison watchdog.

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"When members of the Public Monitoring Commission visited him, observers noted that Whelan has become more fluent in Russian than right after his arrest," the Moscow Public Monitoring Commission’s executive secretary said.

According to earlier reports, Whelan once had a cellmate, who was a fluent English speaker and helped him to get accustomed to new conditions.

Melnikov also said that Whelan complained about medical services in the Russian detention center.

"When Public Monitoring Commission visited him, he spoke negatively of medical aid. He requires a surgery, but only pharmacological therapy is possible in [pretrial] detention. This is not enough. He is constantly having episodes of pain due to his illness," the official continued.

At the same time, the detention facility’s staff said Whelan had rejected a proposal to undergo surgery while in detention in the hope of being operated on it in a normal hospital later.

US citizen Paul Whelan, 48, who also holds British, Canadian and Irish citizenship, is a global security chief at BorgWarner, a Michigan-based automotive components company. The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) said Whelan was detained on December 28, 2018 in Moscow while on an alleged spy mission. A criminal investigation was launched against him on espionage charges carrying a penalty of anywhere from 10 to 20 years behind bars.

At present, the suspect is familiarizing himself with the case files. Once the procedure is completed, his indictment will be sent to prosecutors for approval. After that, the case will be referred to a court.

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