Paul Whelan's lawyer said it was “painful” for Paul to “see other people released before him”

The lawyer for Paul Whelan, the former US Marine who recently returned to the US after being released in a massive prisoner swap with Russia, said it was “painful for Paul to see others released before him”.

Attorney Ryan Fayhee made the comment to ABC News as Whelan is expected to return to his home state of Michigan next week after a 19-day stay at Brooke Army Medical Center outside San Antonio, Texas.

“He continues to undergo various medical tests and treatments as any wrongfully detained American does when he returns home, and he is eager to begin rebuilding his life after five and a half years away,” Fayhee said. “So he will soon be returning to Michigan and is eager to reunite with his friends and family and get his life back on track.”

Fayhee added that it was “painful for Paul to see other people released.” [from Russia] before him,” like Brittney Griner and Trevor Reed.

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Former prisoners released by Russia, journalist Evan Gershkovich, right, former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, center, and Russian-American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva, left, smile after landing at Joint Base San Antonio-Kelly Field, Texas, August 2, 2024. (Suzanne Cordeiro/AFP via Getty Images)

“I believe that Paul's arrest actually led to the arrests of all the others that came after him… and they were all really tied to the Russians' desire to extract some advantage from the United States,” Fayhee also said.

Whelan, a Michigan corporate security executive and former U.S. Marine, had been imprisoned in Russia since his arrest in December 2018 on espionage charges that he and the U.S. government dispute. He was sentenced to 16 years in prison.

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Whelan received an American flag pin from President Biden after arriving on U.S. soil in early August. (Reuters/Nathan Howard)

In early August, Whelan returned to American soil following a prisoner exchange between Russia and the West, also involving Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich.

Since then, Whelan has “focused on reading all the evidence about the efforts that his family… and the administration have undertaken to secure his release, so that he can sort of put the pieces together,” Fayhee told ABC News.

This image released by the White House shows Evan Gershkovich, left, Alsu Kurmasheva, right, and Paul Whelan, second from right, and others boarding a plane, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024, after their release from Russian captivity. (White House via AP)

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Fayhee also mentioned that he had been able to take Whelan out for a steak dinner since returning to the United States and that Whelan had been wearing an American flag pin he received from President Biden “on his collar every day” since then.

Fox News' Chris Pandolfo contributed to this report.