Paul Whelan, American jailed in Russia, reportedly transferred to prison hospital

Paul Whelan, an American detained in Russia on charges of alleged espionage, has reportedly been moved to a hospital in the prison where he's being held, The New York Times writes, per Whelan's brother, David.

The Biden administration says it is "deeply concerned," about Whelan, who has reportedly not made contact with his family in a week. Per David Whelan, Paul had previously told his family to alert the U.S. Embassy if he didn't call home for more than 3 days.

"Paul was not complaining of any health conditions that required hospitalization, so has there been an emergency?" his brother wrote in a recent email to supporters, noting how Whelan looked "healthy and well" when visited by U.S. Embassy staff in November. He added that Whelan was moved on Nov. 17, per the Times; CNN has that date as Nov. 18.

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As of Wednesday, the government had been unsuccessful in its attempts to determine Whelman's exact whereabouts and the details of his condition. "We are deeply concerned about the lack of information and the lack of contact from Paul, and we're working on this really as hard as we can through diplomatic channels," said National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby.

Per the Times, Whelan is being "held at a high-security prison called IK-17, about an eight-hour drive from Moscow."

Whelan's detainment has come under renewed scrutiny following that of WNBA athlete Brittney Griner, who was recently sentenced to nine years in a Russian prison on drug charges.