Trevor Reed, who was wrongfully detained in Russia for nearly three years before the United States executed a prisoner exchange for his freedom, detailed his imprisonment in his first public comments since his return.

The former Marine, in a sit-down interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper teased on Friday, said he “wouldn’t let" himself hope for his release because he viewed “having hope as being a weakness.”

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"And a lot of people are not going to like what I'm going to say about this, but I kind of viewed having hope as being a weakness," he added. "So, I did not want to have that hope of me being released somehow and then have that taken from me."

Reed was sentenced to nine years in prison in July 2020 roughly a year after he was arrested and charged with an altercation with a law enforcement officer, which he denies. While detained, Reed’s health deteriorated, and he told Tapper he was sent to a psychiatric treatment facility that housed people with “severe psychological health issues.”

“So, over 50% of them in that cell were in there for murder. Or, like, multiple murders, sexual assault and murder, just really disturbed individuals," Reed said. "There was blood all over the walls there where prisoners had killed themselves or killed other prisoners or attempted to do that.”

Reed affirmed he was worried a fellow prisoner could kill him.

The U.S. agreed to transfer Konstantin Yaroshenko, a Russian pilot serving a 20-year federal prison sentence in Connecticut for conspiracy to smuggle drugs, to Russia in exchange for Reed late last month. Reed’s “health was a source of an intense concern” for President Joe Biden, according to a senior administration official, who said the president had to make “a very hard decision,” in agreeing to the deal.

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There are two other Americans, Paul Whelan and Brittney Griner, who are considered by the State Department to be wrongfully detained in Russia. Whelan's detainment predates Reed's, and he was arrested on allegations that he was a spy, while Griner, a WNBA player, was arrested on drug charges earlier this year.

Reed's parents, Joey and Paula, met with Biden in the weeks before the exchange, and before that, had spoken with him over the phone. The families of other Americans who are considered wrongfully detained abroad have unsuccessfully sought their own meetings with the president.