▶ Watch Video: American released from Russian prison with “no ‘swap’ necessary,” Trump says
Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old American retired English teacher, is finally free after spending more than four years in a Russian prison on charges of fighting as a mercenary for Ukraine. For his family, the long wait is over.
But for as many as 10 other Americans, including some with dual Russian nationality, the wait continues as they remain in Russian custody.
Russian authorities tightly control all information that comes out of the country, so the detainees’ circumstances can be hard to verify, but here’s what we know about some of the Americans still locked up in Russian prisons and labor colonies.
Travis Michael Leake
Travis Michael Leake, an American rock musician who fronted the Moscow-based band Lovi Noch, was arrested in 2023 on charges of organizing the sale of drugs. He was convicted of drug-related offenses and sentenced in 2024 to 13 years in prison.
In a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Leake’s family said he was “left behind” when he was excluded from the August 2024 Ankara prisoner exchange that brought home three other U.S. nationals. A representative for Leake, who had lived in Moscow since 2010, maintains the American is innocent, telling CBS News: “Travis is no drug dealer.”
“I’m sorry I’m not a journalist. I’m sorry I’m not a basketball player. I’m sorry I’m not somebody that’s important,” Leake said in a message recorded in prison advocating for his release.
Robert Woodland
Robert Woodland returned to Russia after living with a U.S. foster family for most of his life, hoping to track down his birth mother. He told a Russian newspaper in 2020 that he decided to move there after connecting with her through a Russian TV show.
In 2024, Woodland pleaded partially guilty to Russian drug trafficking charges and was sentenced to 12½ years in prison. His sentence was reduced to 9½ years in 2025. Stanislav Kshevitskii, an attorney for Woodland, told CBS News in October 2026 there have been no updates to his case.
David Barnes
David Barnes and his Russian ex-wife were embroiled in a bitter custody battle over their two sons in Texas. During the dispute, Boricovna accused Barnes of sexually abusing the two boys, but law enforcement found insufficient evidence to file charges. Texas judges ruled repeatedly between 2014 and 2018 that Barnes should remain a joint custody guardian. After losing her bid for sole custody, his ex-wife took the boys to Russia in 2019.
When Barnes went to Russia to pursue visitation rights, his ex-wife again accused him of sexual abuse. He was convicted in a Russian court and sentenced in February 2024 to 21 years in a penal colony.
In a letter from prison to his sons, Barnes maintained his innocence, writing: “Thousands of people in America and Russia know I am innocent … You know I am innocent as well. Don’t worry, we will be together again … I love you so much. I was devastated when your Mom took you from me.”
Daniel Schneider
Daniel Schneider is being detained in Russia amid what a website advocating for his release describes as a “complex international child custody dispute.”
Schneider traveled to Russia to reunite with his 4-year-old son, a Russian citizen. In July 2023, he was arrested while attempting to cross into Poland with the boy and was later sentenced to six years in prison for kidnapping after prosecutors said the child’s mother did not consent to him leaving the country.
Gordon Black
U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Gordon Black was stationed in South Korea in May 2024 when he traveled to Russia to visit his girlfriend. U.S. officials and Russian authorities say he was arrested after she accused him of stealing money from her and was eventually sentenced to 3 years and 9 months in prison.
Last year that sentence was reduced by a Russian court to 3 years and 2 months.
Charles Zimmerman
In June 2025, retired U.S. Navy veteran and electrician Charles Wayne “Chuck” Zimmerman was pursuing his lifelong dream of sailing the world aboard his private sailboat. When he reached the Black Sea, his family says he was ordered to follow a Russian Navy vessel under threat of military action.
Zimmerman followed the vessel to Sochi, where he voluntarily declared a firearm on board. He was arrested, and later convicted of arms smuggling and given a five-year prison sentence in January 2026.
Zimmerman’s sister, Robin Stultz, alleges that Russian authorities have denied her brother access to U.S. diplomatic representatives since his arrest and says she would not trust any confession they claim he made.
Andre Khachatoorian
Andre Khachatoorian was traveling from California to Armenia to visit his wife’s family for the holidays in December 2021 when he was detained during a layover in Moscow. According to a website advocating for his release, he asked to access his checked bag to retrieve medication, and police noticed a locked firearm case inside.
Supporters argue that he had proper paperwork for the weapon and allege that a Russian police officer tricked him into applying for a Russian visa before removing him from the airport.
Khachatoorian was charged with arms trafficking in Russia and sentenced to eight and a half years in prison in 2023, Reuters reported.
Eugene Spector
In December 2024, a Russian court sentenced Eugene Spector to a total of 15 years in prison in an espionage case. The claims against him have not been made public by state media, and his trial took place behind closed doors.
Spector, who was born in Russia, had previously pleaded guilty to facilitating bribes to an aide to a former Russian deputy prime minister and was sentenced to three and a half years in prison in 2022.
A year later, Spector was charged with new espionage offenses, and in 2024 he was handed an additional 15-year prison sentence.
Aleksandr Antonov
Aleksandr Antonov is a naturalized U.S. citizen who traveled to Ukraine and Russia on business trips. At a passport check in Russia in March 2025, Russian border officers noticed his U.S. passport and claimed he had Telegram messages on his phone containing anti-Russian sentiment. Antonov was detained and eventually sentenced to 6 years for inciting terrorism and extremism.
CBS News has learned from current and former U.S. officials that the State Department is debating whether to designate Antonov as wrongfully detained.