“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.
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Sixteen Senators Tell Rubio the Administration Has Never Once Used the Levinson Act on the Five Americans Sitting in Russian Prisons — "All to Be Used as a Pawn in a Larger Conflict"
August 12, 2026
On August 12, 2026 sixteen Senate Democrats, led by Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), wrote to Secretary of State Marco Rubio about five U.S. nationals held in Russian custody: Andre Khachatoorian of California, David Barnes of Texas, Olga Jezler of New York, Alexsandr Antonov of California, and Charles "Chuck" Zimmerman, a Roanoke Valley native. The letter's central complaint is procedural and specific: the administration has not designated any of them "wrongfully detained" under the Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act, the 2020 statute that unlocks the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs and the interagency machinery built to get Americans home. Only Stephen Hubbard carries that designation. The letter landed days after Robert Gilman was released following more than four years in Russian detention — proof, the senators argued, that direct engagement works — and it asks Rubio to negotiate for the remaining detainees separately from the broader talks on Russia's war against Ukraine, rather than letting their cases ride on the diplomacy. Several have been in custody for years: Khachatoorian since 2021, Barnes since 2022, Jezler since 2022, Antonov since 2025. The State Department's answer was that it "continuously reviews the circumstances surrounding the detention for indicators that it is a wrongful detention" in every case, and that consular assistance continues regardless of whether a determination has been made. Rubio himself has not responded publicly. The signers are all Democrats, which is the story's main limitation as an oversight matter — no Senate Republican has joined the letter.
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“My heart breaks for these five Americans who are trapped, away from their families, confined in a Russian prison. These are people who have had their futures taken from them, all to be used as a pawn in a larger conflict.
“It is incumbent on the United States and our government to explore every possible avenue and use every available tool to get these Americans home.
“We are deeply concerned that the current Administration has yet to utilize the authorities outlined in the Levinson Act to designate the U.S. nationals detained by the Russian Federation as wrongful detainees.
“We write to express our grave concern for the U.S. nationals detained by the Russian Federation under circumstances that raise serious questions about their safety and wellbeing. Many detainees have remained in Russian custody for years with no clear pathway for their release or return to the United States.