NEW YORK, April 11. /TASS/. The US government will commit a betrayal, if it decides to exchange Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich instead of Paul Whelan, sentenced in Russia for espionage, Paul’s brother David Whelan said in a commentary for reporters disseminated Tuesday.

"A number of you asked whether Paul was aware of Mr. Gershkovich's case. He seems to have learned about it, although I'm not sure if it was from Russian media or from a call he had with the US Embassy yesterday morning. Paul's fear of being left behind a third time was apparently palpable in his conversation with our parents yesterday," David said. "[We] can't conceive a scenario where the US government conceded anything to the Kremlin for an American's release that did not include Paul. It would be an unconscionable betrayal."

According to the Federal Security Service (FSB) of Russia, Gershkovich was gathering classified information about a Russian military-industrial enterprise under orders from the US side. According to Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov, the reporter was apprehended in the act; a criminal case on charges of espionage has been initiated. Gershkovich was put into custody until May 29.

On December 28, 2018, Whelan, who has US, UK, Canadian and Irish citizenship, was taken into custody by the FSB in a room at Moscow’s Metropol Hotel while on an alleged spy mission. The FSB opened a criminal case against him on charges of espionage under Article 276 of the Russian Criminal Code. On June 15, 2020, the Moscow City Court found Whelan guilty of spying against Russia and sentenced him to 16 years in a high-security colony. Whelan is serving out his sentence in a correctional facility in Mordovia.