Russia has recently released an American educator who had been imprisoned for charges related to prescribed medical marijuana, a move that was characterized by the White House as indicative of improving diplomatic relations. Marc Fogel, who had been incarcerated since August 2021, was serving a 14-year sentence and was officially designated as wrongfully detained by the Biden administration in December of last year.

Fogel’s release comes in the aftermath of a significant prisoner exchange that occurred in August 2023, which led to the freedom of several notable individuals including Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and corporate security executive Paul Whelan. However, there are still several other Americans who are currently held in Russian detention facilities.

One such individual is Ksenia Khavana, a dual U.S.-Russian citizen. She was detained in Yekaterinburg in January 2024 on treason charges for allegedly donating to a charity that supports Ukraine. In August, she was sentenced to 12 years in prison. Khavana had gained U.S. citizenship through marriage to an American and was visiting family from Los Angeles at the time of her arrest. Human rights advocates assert that the charges against her were rooted in a modest $51 donation to a charity assisting Ukraine.

Another American, Stephen Hubbard, a Michigan native, was sentenced to 6 years and 10 months in October 2024 for his engagement as a mercenary alongside the Ukrainian military. Prosecutors stated that Hubbard had entered into a contract with Ukrainian forces shortly after the invasion by Russian troops commenced in February 2022. His capture occurred two months into his involvement in the conflict. At the time of sentencing, Hubbard was 72 years old, becoming the first documented American convicted for serving on Ukraine’s side during this conflict.

Travis Leake, known as a musician and a former U.S. paratrooper, was also sentenced in July 2024 to 13 years in prison on drug-related offenses. Reports identified him as being the frontman for a band called Lovi Noch (Seize the Night). Leake had resided in Moscow since 2010.

Army staff sergeant Gordon Black was convicted of theft and issuing threats against his girlfriend in June 2024, leading to a sentence of three years and nine months. Black had traveled to Russia from a military post in South Korea without proper authorization and was arrested following accusations from his girlfriend.

Another case involves Robert Woodland, who, after being born in Russia, became a U.S. citizen. He was sentenced to 12 and a half years for drug trafficking in July 2024. Media outlets noted that his identity corresponds with that of a U.S. citizen in a 2020 interview who discovered his biological mother in a television program after being adopted by American parents at an early age.

David Barnes, an engineer hailing from Texas, was apprehended in 2022 while visiting his sons, who had been taken to Russia by their mother. Despite a Texas investigation dismissing allegations of sexual abuse against him, a Russian court convicted him on these claims in February 2024, imposing a 21-year prison term.

Robert Gilman, identified in reports as a former U.S. Marine, was detained in 2022 for allegedly assaulting a police officer following an incident on a train. After receiving an initial 3.5-year sentence, he faced additional sentencing of 7 years and 1 month in October 2024 for reportedly attacking a prison inspector during a check.

Eugene Spector, a Russian-born U.S. citizen, was sentenced to a second term of 15 years in December 2024 on espionage charges. Previously, he was given a 3.5-year sentence for facilitating bribery involving a Russian official in September 2022.

Lastly, Joseph Tater was arrested in August 2024 in a high-end Moscow hotel for not presenting valid entry documents. Following an incident at a police station where he allegedly assaulted an officer, Tater has been in custody awaiting trial for charges that could lead to a five-year sentence. During a court session in September, he claimed that he had arrived in Russia seeking political asylum and alleged persecution by the CIA.