The Case Of Paul Whelan Draws Parallels To U.S. Journalist's 1986 Arrest In Moscow

Russian authorities seize an American in Moscow and charge him with spying for the U.S. while his family protests his innocence. This is not just the story of Paul Whelan, the American citizen detained in the Russian capital on Dec. 28, 2018. In 1986, KGB operatives arrested American journalist Nicholas Daniloff for the same crime and locked him in the same prison.

The parallels don't end there. Daniloff's detention came days after the U.S. arrested a Soviet aide at the United Nations, Gennady Zakharov, as he allegedly gathered classified data in New York. Whelan's arrest comes after the U.S. charged a Russian woman, Maria Butina, with failing to register as a foreign agent last summer.

"It looks like the Russians are trying to set up a one-on-one exchange, Whelan for Butina in Washington, and to tell you the truth, I'm surprised that they didn't arrest an American sooner than they did," Daniloff, who is 84 now, tells Morning Edition host Rachel Martin.