Paul Whelan, the former United States Marine who the State Department has determined is being wrongfully detained in Russia, told Secretary of State Antony Blinken that being left out of prisoner swaps has signed his death warrant.

Whelan, who has been imprisoned by Russia since 2018, said his age is playing a factor in his physical health because of the manual labor that prisoners in Mordovia are required to do.

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"I told [Blinken] point-blank that leaving me here the first time painted a target on my back and leaving me here the second time basically signed a death warrant,” Whelan told CNN in an article published Tuesday. “Unless they got me back, it could be quite challenging in the future, especially with my age and the sort of work we have to do from a health and safety point of view.”

Whelan was not included in a prisoner exchange of two high-profile Americans held by Russia, Brittney Griner and Trevor Reed, for two Russian nationals, Konstantin Yaroshenko and Viktor Bout. Russia did not allow Whelan to be traded in that exchange, according to U.S. officials.

Despite his fear that being left in Russia to serve out his 16-year sentence would prove fatal, Whelan said he believes the U.S. is doing everything it can to get him back home. However, Whelan said he also wanted to make sure that he was not forgotten among the other "geopolitical issues" happening in the world. Whelan last spoke to Blinken in August.

“I think everyone’s trying to do the right thing, and I know that this will come to an end at some point," Whelan said. "How long it will take, I don’t know. But I’m being promised that I won’t be left behind here."

The State Department said it will continue to stand behind Whelan after declaring he was wrongly convicted of espionage in 2020 and is searching for a way to free him.

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"Secretary Blinken remains committed to bringing Paul home,” a State Department spokesperson told CNN on Monday. “The United States has been clear that Russia’s wrongful detention of Paul Whelan is outrageous, and he should be immediately set free. We offered Russia a serious proposal for Paul’s release and will not stop working on his case until he is reunited with his family.”

The Washington Examiner reached out to the State Department for comment.