A group of 16 U.S. senators is trying to ramp up pressure on the Trump administration to do more to secure the release of Americans held prisoner in Russia — including Roanoke Valley native Chuck Zimmerman who has been held for more than a year after being apprehended while sailing in international waters in the Black Sea.
On Thursday, the senators — all Democrats — released a letter they have sent to Secretary of State Marco Rubio in which they urge the administration to declare the Americans as “wrongfully detained,” a legal designation that the Trump administration has used in the case of Americans held elsewhere but not used with those held in Russia.
“This valuable tool would maximize U.S. government coordination and advance negotiations to ensure their swift release,” the senators wrote. The signees included Virginia Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, both of whom have previously written Rubio — in conjunction with Rep. Ben Cline, R-Botetourt County — about Zimmerman’s case.
The latest letter, initiated by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, is part of what appears to be a policy dispute about how best to secure the release of Americans held in Russia. The Joe Biden administration named multiple Americans held in Russia as “wrongfully detained,” including the celebrated case of basketball star Brittney Griner, who was eventually released in a prisoner swap. The Trump administration has not, apparently seeking a warmer relationship with Russian president Vladimir Putin.
In the past, the administration has avoided questions from Cardinal News about why it isn’t invoking the “wrongfully detained” designation, but outside policy analysts have said they believe it’s intended to avoid provoking Putin. A Cardinal inquiry to the State Department on Wednesday did not receive a reply.
This letter from the senators has been in the works for several weeks — Warner addressed the prospect of signing such a letter in a virtual meeting with Virginia journalists last month — but its release Wednesday comes just a day after Russia turned over one American who has been held in prison there. Robert Gilman was a Massachusetts teacher who was detained in 2022 on charges of assaulting a police officer in Russia. He was originally sentenced to 3.5 years in prison, which was extended to 10 years after he allegedly had an altercation with a prison guard. It was only after talks to release Gilman were in the works that the Trump administration designated Gilman as “wrongfully detained.”
While Russia generally tends to release Americans only as part of prisoner swaps, such as in the Griner case, Gilman was released unconditionally after Russian hospital reports described his physical condition as “dire and life threatening.” Sen. Ed Markey, D-Massachusetts, said that Russians had repeatedly tortured Gilman in custody. The implication is that Russians feel no remorse about treating American prisoners badly but don’t want them to die in custody.
President Donald Trump said he spoke directly with Putin about Gilman’s release. “We appreciate this decision, and the fact that Russia asked for no one in return — No exchange took place,” Trump posted on Truth Social.
Gilman’s release could be an isolated event but the nonprofit group Global Reach, which advocates for Americans held in custody overseas, expressed hope that it could lead to more releases.
“Robert Gilman’s release this week after more than four years in Russian detention proves that determined advocacy and direct engagement with Russian authorities can bring Americans home, even in the most difficult cases,” said Kieran Ramsay, chief investigative officer for Global Reach in a statement sent to Cardinal News. “The President’s personal commitment and leadership on this issue is critical. For Chuck Zimmerman’s family, this most recent outcome is a source of real hope. It shows what is possible and we pray a new path forward exists to see Chuck be brought back home to Virginia very soon.
“At the same time, we are heartened to see sixteen Democratic Senators formally request the Trump Administration this week to escalate every diplomatic, economic, and political tool available to secure the release of Chuck and five other Americans still held in Russian custody. This kind of sustained support is exactly what these families need right now.”
Most of the senators who signed the letter have constituents who are held in Russia. However, it’s unclear why the two Republican senators from Texas and Alabama didn’t sign because one of the Americans held in Russia has ties to both states.
The Virginia connection for Warner and Kaine is through Zimmerman, a 1985 Salem High School graduate who most recently lived in North Carolina. Zimmerman set out last year on a sailing adventure to New Zealand. He took a side trip to the Black Sea, where the Russian Navy intercepted him in international waters and forced him to port. Once there, Zimmerman was charged with weapons smuggling because he had a rifle and pistol on board for personal protection while at sea. He was sentenced to five years in prison. Global Reach recently described his health as “deteriorating.”
