Soldiers, Teachers and Desperate Fathers: The Americans Still Held in Russian Prisons

Russia freed erstwhile U.S. teacher and diplomat Marc Fogel arsenic portion of a woody brokered by President Donald Trump's medication connected Tuesday. 

Following Fogel's instrumentality to the U.S., Trump said different detainee is acceptable to spell escaped from Russia connected Wednesday.

The Trump-orchestrated woody comes months aft 3 Americans, including erstwhile U.S. Marine Paul Whelan and journalists Evan Gershkovich and Alsu Kurmasheva, were freed successful a historic captive swap betwixt Russia and the West. 

Here is simply a look astatine the highest-profile American citizens presently successful Russian situation who could perchance beryllium freed: 

Gordon Black 

U.S. unit sergeant Black, 34, was arrested successful May past twelvemonth successful the Far East larboard metropolis of Vladivostok, wherever helium was visiting a Russian pistillate helium met and dated portion stationed successful South Korea.

Black’s girlfriend, identified by Russian media arsenic Alexandra Vashuk, accused him of stealing astir 10,000 rubles ($113) from her and said helium had physically attacked her. 

A Russian tribunal recovered Black blameworthy of theft and of threatening to termination Vashuk and sentenced the American to 3 years and 9 months successful prison. 

In October, Russian authorities broadcaster Rossiya aired a TV conception featuring Black successful which the worker said helium “wants to spell home” to the U.S. “but the determination is up to my government.” It was not wide whether the antheral was speaking nether duress.

David Barnes 

A Russian tribunal sentenced 67-year-old Barnes to 21 years successful situation past February, uncovering him blameworthy of sexually abusing his sons erstwhile they lived successful the United States. 

Allegations against Barnes were antecedently recovered uncredible by instrumentality enforcement officials successful Texas.

Barnes was arrested successful January 2022 conscionable a fewer weeks aft arriving successful Moscow to question custody implicit his children successful a section tribunal system. 

“He went due to the fact that helium wanted to found ineligible visitation with his children,” Barnes’ older sister Carol told ABC News. “That's the lone crushed helium went.”

Barnes’ imprisonment followed a years-long divorcement process and kid custody quality with his Russian ex-wife Svetlana Koptyaeva, who illegally took their 2 sons to Russia contempt the ongoing tribunal dispute, according to accusation obtained by ABC. 

Robert Gilman

Gilman, 30, was sentenced to 4 years and six months successful situation successful October 2022 for allegedly kicking a policeman successful the metropolis of Voronezh successful occidental Russia. 

Though this condemnation was aboriginal reduced to 3 and a fractional years pursuing an appeal, Gilman appeared successful tribunal again successful June past twelvemonth to look caller charges of allegedly punching situation guards and an investigator. 

Gilman pleaded blameworthy to the latest battle charges and was subsequently sentenced to 7 years and 1 period successful a penal colony and a good of 300,000 rubles ($3,191). 

Stephen Hubbard

Hubbard, who turned 73 connected Thursday, is the oldest U.S. national held successful a Russian situation and 1 of the 2 Americans — unneurotic with the precocious released Fogel — currently designated arsenic “wrongfully detained” successful Russia by the U.S. State Department. 

Hubbard, a retired English teacher, was captured by Russia successful the eastbound Ukrainian municipality of Izium astatine the outset of Russia’s full-scale penetration successful 2022 and was moved done astatine slightest 5 antithetic detention centers earlier appearing successful a closed proceedings successful Moscow past fall, according to the New York Times. 

The Moscow City Court sentenced Hubbard to six years and 10 months successful situation for allegedly warring for Ukraine successful September.

Freed Ukrainian POW Ihor Shyshko, who was held successful Russian detention alongside Hubbard for 2 years, recounted Hubbard being tortured by Russian instrumentality enforcement successful respective interviews with the media. 

Ksenia Karelina 

Karelina, an aesthetician and manager astatine a spa salon successful Beverly Hills, was detained successful January past twelvemonth portion visiting her household successful Yekaterinburg successful Russia’s Ural Mountains. 

Karelina, who has been surviving successful the U.S. for implicit a decade, was initially sentenced to 14 days successful jailhouse connected charges of “hooliganism,” but was ordered to 2 months of pre-trial detention connected suspicion of committing treason earlier she could marque it retired of the detention facility.

In August, a Russian tribunal sentenced the 32-year-old to 12 years successful situation for donating $51.80 to the New York-based foundation Razom for Ukraine. 

Russia's FSB information work claimed Karelina’s donation was "used to acquisition tactical aesculapian supplies, equipment, weapons and ammunition for the Ukrainian equipped forces."

Michael Travis Leake

Rock instrumentalist and erstwhile U.S. paratrooper, Leake was sentenced to 13 years successful situation successful July connected charges of "organizing a cause dealing concern involving young people."

Leake was jailed alongside Veronika Grabanchuk, different suspect convicted of cause charges. Her narration to Leake was not instantly clear.

Robert Romanov Woodland

Woodland, a dual U.S.-Russian citizen, was calved successful Russia and adopted by an American household successful the aboriginal 1990s. He decided to instrumentality to Russia successful 2020 to reconnect with his commencement mother. 

The 31-year-old, who worked arsenic an English teacher successful Moscow, was arrested past January for trying to fell 47 grams of mephedrone. He was subsequently sentenced to 12.5 years successful prison. 

Woodland’s lawyer asked the tribunal to trim the sentence, saying the antheral pleaded partially guilty, but a Moscow tribunal upheld the ruling successful November. 

Daniel Joseph Schneider

A tribunal successful Russia’s Europen exclave of Kaliningrad sentenced Schneider to six years successful situation successful September for trying to flight from the state with his four-year-old son, a Russian citizen, without the support of the mother. 

Russian authorities claim Schneider was detained by the country’s borderline information officials successful the Kaliningrad portion erstwhile trying to illegally transverse the borderline with neighboring Poland “through a wood and a swamp.” 

Gene Spector 

A naturalized U.S. citizen, Spector was calved and raised successful the Soviet Union. He returned to Russia with his household aboriginal successful beingness and served arsenic CEO of Medpolimerprom, a radical of companies that makes integrative aesculapian devices.

Spector, 53, was initially sentenced to 4 years successful situation successful 2021 for “mediating” a bribe to the adjutant of erstwhile Russian Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich successful the signifier of vacations to Thailand and the Dominican Republic. 

The condemnation was aboriginal reduced by six months pursuing a retrial, but Russian authorities brought caller espionage charges against Spector and sentenced him to 15 years successful situation successful December.

Russian information services claim that Spector aided the Pentagon successful creating “a high-speed familial screening strategy for the Russian population.”

Joseph Tater 

Tater was detained successful Moscow successful August and accused of assaulting a constabulary serviceman aft abusing unit astatine a hotel. 

At an entreaty proceeding against the pre-trial detention successful September, Tater criticized the U.S. authorities and media and claimed that helium had been targeted by the CIA, Russian authorities quality agencies reported. 

During the aforesaid hearing, his lawyer told the justice helium had travel to Russia to "obtain governmental asylum successful transportation with persecution by the applicable authorities successful the United States."

Tater faces up to 5 years successful prison.

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