Senators urge Rubio to prioritize the release of other Americans, including 2 veterans, held in Russian prisons

WASHINGTON — Sixteen senators sent a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio urging him to prioritize the safe return of the remaining Americans jailed in Russia — including two military veterans — following Robert Gilman’s release last week after four years in a Russian prison.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., led the letter-writing campaign, which pressed Rubio to prioritize negotiations to secure the freedom of at least five other Americans as well as a green card holder who is a permanent U.S. resident.

The senators also urged Rubio not to tie “the fate” of the detained Americans to larger geopolitical issues between the two countries. 

“The continued detention of Americans in Russia underscores the need for sustained engagement and a renewed urgency to obtain their release, including in independent and direct negotiations with the Russian government separate from the broader ongoing negotiations on Russia’s war against Ukraine,” the senators wrote.

A State Department spokesperson said Tuesday that President Donald Trump’s administration will continue to work for the release of all Americans unjustly detained in Russia.

“In every case when a U.S. national is detained overseas, including in Russia, the Department of State continuously reviews the circumstances surrounding the detention for indicators that it is a wrongful detention,” the spokesperson said.    

But the spokesperson added that the State Department does not comment on media questions about the congressional correspondence it receives.

Rubio also pledged to prioritize the release of the American hostages following Gilman’s release on Aug. 11 and emphasized Trump’s commitment to secure their release. 

“The case of Robert Gilman shows the extreme nature of risk that U.S. citizens are facing in Russian custody,” said Eric Lebson, chief strategy officer with Global Reach, a nonprofit advocating for Americans held in other countries.

Gilman, a 32-year-old Marine Corps veteran, was freed on humanitarian conditions after his health deteriorated and he was placed on a feeding tube. He had been imprisoned since 2022 on disputed charges of assaulting a police officer and prison guard. No prisoner exchange was involved.

Global Reach urged the State Department to use the momentum gained from the successful negotiations for Gilman to gain the release of the other detainees.

They include military veterans Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old teacher from Michigan who served in the Air Force, and Chuck Zimmerman, a 59-year-old electrician and Navy veteran originally from Virginia.

Hubbard, a retired English language instructor, was arrested in Ukraine by Russian troops in 2022.

Russian authorities accused him of working as a paid mercenary soldier for Ukraine, a charge his family and the Ukrainian government denied.

Videos of Hubbard entering and leaving a Russian courtroom in 2024 showed a frail-looking man struggling to stand and walk.

The State Department in January designated Hubbard as wrongfully detained, which triggers a high level of U.S. government support for an individual’s release.

“When the secretary determines an individual has been wrongfully detained, various offices throughout the State Department and other U.S. government agencies work collaboratively with colleagues inside and outside the government to develop a strategy to secure their release,” the State Department said.

Patricia Hubbard Fox, Stephen Hubbard’s sister, has spoken out frequently about Hubbard’s declining health in detention. She said he has suffered years of beatings and torture.

“It’s dire. His health is dire,” Hubbard Fox said in 2025 on ABC News. “Stephen is a pawn, nothing but a pawn for Russia.”

The State Department underscored its commitment to secure the return of Hubbard and “all Americans unjustly detained in Russia.”

“The Department continues to provide consular assistance to U.S. nationals detained overseas, regardless of whether a wrongful detention determination has been made,” the spokesman said.

Chuck Zimmerman, a Navy veteran originally from Virginia, was picked up by the Russian navy in 2025 while on a solo voyage in international waters, according to Global Outreach. (Global Reach)

Zimmerman was picked up by the Russian navy in 2025 while on a solo voyage in international waters between the U.S. and New Zealand, according to Global Reach.

He was aboard his 35-foot sailboat when he ventured into the Black Sea. He was intercepted by a Russian naval frigate and taken into custody in the port city of Sochi, the organization said.

He later was convicted of arms smuggling, according to a Russian appeals court.

But his family and advocates said that Zimmerman only carried a rifle and pistol on board for self-protection, which he voluntarily turned over to the Russian authorities.

Global Reach, which works with families at no cost, said that Zimmerman and the other American detainees have “medical situations that are heading in the same direction as those Robert Gilman faced” and qualify for a wrongful determination.

The organization identified the other Americans in Russian prisons. None has a military background. All were sentenced in Russian court to prison terms.

They are Andre Khachatoorian, of California, detained since 2021; David Barnes, of Texas, detained since 2022; and Alexsandr Antonov, of California, detained in 2025.

Olga Jezler, of New York, is a sixth detainee who has been imprisoned since 2022. Originally from Russia, she is a permanent U.S. resident married to an American.