MOSCOW, May 4. /TASS/. US Ambassador to Russia Lynne Tracy visited Paul Whelan, sentenced in Russia for espionage, in the penal colony number 17 in Russia’s Mordovia, the US embassy tweeted Thursday.

"Today, Ambassador Tracy visited #PaulWhelan at IK17 prison in Mordovia," the embassy tweeted.

Whelan, who has citizenship of the US, Canada, Ireland and the UK, was detained during an espionage action in Moscow on December 28, 2018. The Federal Security Service (FSB) Investigative Department opened a criminal case over charges of espionage. The Moscow City Court found him guilty and sentenced him to 16 years in prison.