Washington [US], December 29 (ANI/Sputnik): The Russian Embassy in Washington responded to the call of the US to release Paul Whelan and Trevor Reed from Russian prisons by reminding them that both Americans were arrested for committing serious crimes, unlike Russians, who are often detained and tried in the United States on far-fetched pretexts.

"Let us remind to @StateDeptSpox that unlike Russians, who are often detained and convicted by the United States under far-fetched pretext, P.Whelan and T.Reed were arrested while committing serious crimes," the embassy said on Twitter.

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Earlier, US State Department spokesperson Ned Price marked the third anniversary of Whelan's detention with a statement that Russia must release him and Reed "unconditionally and immediately so they can be home with their families."

Whelan, who holds American, British, Canadian and Irish citizenship, is serving his sentence in Russia after a Moscow court sentenced him to 16 years in prison in June 2020 on charges of espionage. He denies the charges, but did not challenge the verdict in the hope of being part of a prisoner exchange between the United States and Russia.

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Reed was sentenced to nine years in July 2020 for assaulting police officers who were called to respond during his drunken row with two women in a Moscow street. (ANI/Sputnik)

(The above story is verified and authored by ANI staff, ANI is South Asia's leading multimedia news agency with over 100 bureaus in India, South Asia and across the globe. ANI brings the latest news on Politics and Current Affairs in India & around the World, Sports, Health, Fitness, Entertainment, & News. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)