Paul Whelan is free—but far from whole.

One year after his release from a Russian penal colony, the former U.S. Marine says he’s still struggling to find his footing back home. “You’re literally starting over,” Whelan told CNN, reflecting on a return marked by financial hardship, joblessness, and lingering psychological trauma.

“House is gone. Cars are gone. Employment’s gone. No health insurance,” Whelan said. “For people like me who have come home after five-and-a-half years, we really don’t have very much.”

Whelan was arrested in Moscow in December 2018 while attending a friend’s wedding. Accused of espionage—a charge he and the U.S. government have always denied—he was sentenced to 16 years of hard labor. He spent nearly six of them inside the notorious IK-17 prison colony in Mordovia before being freed in a major U.S.-Russia prisoner exchange in 2024.

Since returning to Michigan, the transition has been anything but smooth.

PTSD, Unemployment, and an Empty Home

Routine aspects of daily life have become emotional minefields. “It took a little bit of time for me to kind of feel comfortable driving down the same streets that I used to or going to a park or doing things that I used to do,” he said.

Even staying in hotel rooms can trigger his PTSD, bringing him back to the moment of his violent arrest in a Moscow hotel room. “I was thrown to the floor,” he recalled. “I still carry the trauma.”

He also came home to the loss of his beloved dog, who died while he was imprisoned.

Whelan has faced significant challenges reentering the workforce. Despite being wrongfully detained, employers have shown little interest in hiring someone with a nearly six-year gap on their resume. “Most people understand the wrongful detention issue,” he said. “They just don’t know what to do with it. It doesn’t fit into their policies or procedures.”

Fighting for Hostage Support

In addition to trying to rebuild his life, Whelan is pushing for legislative change. He’s working with Michigan Democratic Representatives Debbie Dingell and Haley Stevens to secure federal support for wrongfully detained Americans upon their return.

Their goal: to fund the medical, psychological, and financial support outlined in the Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act, which currently lacks dedicated funding.

“Congresswoman Dingell has worked closely with Paul Whelan to understand and address the challenges that political prisoners face when they return home,” her deputy chief of staff, Michaela Johnson, told CNN.

Whelan also hopes to meet personally with President Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio to advocate for those still imprisoned and for the resources needed to help former detainees rebuild their lives.

A Fractured Prison Network

Whelan remains in touch with former inmates from his time in Mordovia. IK-17, where he was held, has since been shuttered and repurposed to house Ukrainian prisoners of war, he said. Many of his former fellow inmates have been transferred across Russia and report worsening conditions.

“Russia is having a tremendous problem with the economy. The food is worse than what we had. There aren’t enough guards,” Whelan explained. “Foreign prisoners are being told: ‘If you want out, go fight in Ukraine.’”

A Brotherhood of the Wrongfully Detained

Whelan also keeps in close contact with fellow Americans who were released as part of the 2024 prisoner exchange, including journalist Evan Gershkovich and Russian-American reporter Alsu Kurmasheva. Together, they’ve formed an unlikely bond.

“It’s like the Island of Misfit Toys,” Whelan said, referencing the Christmas special Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. “A unique club of people from all different backgrounds, brought together not by their choosing, with shared experiences.”

That camaraderie, he says, has helped carry him through.

Looking Ahead

On the one-year anniversary of his release, Whelan says he plans to mark the moment with quiet reflection.

“There’s a special bottle of scotch that I have that I’ll probably open,” he said. “And I think I’ve got a box of cigars sitting around.”

After years of imprisonment, isolation, and struggle, Paul Whelan is learning to live again—one slow step, one small ritual, one difficult truth at a time.