Here’s a look at two Americans still detained in Russian penal colonies.

MOSCOW — The State Department has urged U.S. citizens not to travel to Russia and, if they are in the country, to “leave immediately” because of the possibility of arbitrary arrest.

A department official declined to say how many Americans were still detained or imprisoned in Russia, nor how many of them are “wrongfully detained” in the eyes of U.S. officials.

Still, the release of Brittney Griner has focused attention on two other U.S. citizens who are known to still be held in Russian penal colonies: Paul Whelan and Marc Fogel. Here’s a closer look at them.

Mr. Whelan, an ex-Marine turned corporate security executive, has been in Russian custody since December 2018. The State Department had tried for months to include him as part of a prisoner swap deal with the Russians: Mr. Whelan and Ms. Griner for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.

Mr. Whelan, 52, was attending the wedding of a friend in Moscow when he was arrested at a hotel and accused of spying, a charge he and his family deny. He was convicted in June 2020 on espionage charges that the U.S. government says were manufactured.