wrongfully detained – An American woman is urging President Trump to seek President Vladimir Putin’s help in freeing her father, Aleksandr Antonov, amid State Department debate over labeling him wrongly detained.
The detention of an American father in Russia has reached the White House, with his daughter directly pressing President Donald Trump to intervene and compel Vladimir Putin’s government to set him free.
Anastasia Antonov, who describes herself as a “proud U.S.. citizen. ” says her father. Aleksandr Antonov. was arrested by Russian authorities last year and sentenced to six years in prison for charges she and her family reject as politically motivated.. In a letter written to Trump and shared with CBS News. she asked the president to elevate her father’s case. saying she felt it was time to bring it to the top after growing frustration with what she characterized as slow movement at the State Department.
Aleksandr Antonov, 66, is a naturalized U.S.. citizen who immigrated from the Soviet Union in the 1990s but returned to Ukraine and Russia on business trips.. At a passport check in Russia on March 5, 2025, Russian border officers found his U.S.. passport and alleged he had Telegram messages on his phone containing anti-Russian sentiment.. He was later convicted on charges tied to inciting terrorism and extremism.
Inside the State Department. officials have been debating whether to formally designate him as “wrongfully detained. ” a legal classification that signals the U.S.. believes the charges are fabricated.. CBS News learned that an internal discussion has taken place and that Antonov’s case had been reviewed.. Several officials recommended in a memo to Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s top counselor that he be classified as wrongfully detained. reflecting a view that the evidence against him does not stand up.
But the recommendation faced resistance from other diplomats who worried it could disrupt fragile. and in practice unsuccessful. U.S.-Russia diplomacy tied to the Ukraine war.. Two officials briefed on the case told CBS News that concern about further inflaming tensions with Russia is the main obstacle.. The designation itself is discretionary, and the authority rests with Rubio to approve.
Former Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Roger Carstens. now a CBS News contributor. said the process can get complicated when different parts of the State Department disagree.. He described how “split memos” can make it harder to ultimately persuade a secretary of state. even when legal. consular. or hostage teams believe the case is clear.. Carstens noted that because the Antonov matter began after he left office. he could not confirm whether such a dynamic played out here.
Even without the wrongfully detained label, the U.S.. government is still pressing for outcomes in some detention cases.. A former senior government official briefed on hostage advocacy told CBS News that U.S.. officials have told the Antonov family the Russia cases are a priority.. The official said Antonov is “on the list” of people the U.S.. envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to raise with Kiril Dmitriev, a key adviser to Putin.. Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, is also involved in those discussions.
For other families, the lack of progress has sometimes been a question of politics as much as process.. Paul Whelan. a former hostage who was freed in a prisoner swap with Russia in 2024. told CBS News that he believes the current stalemate may reflect Putin’s reluctance to seek anything from the U.S.. at this moment, and the Trump administration’s reluctance to spend political capital.
As of now. at least six Americans held by Russia have not received the wrongfully detained designation under the Trump administration.. The label matters because it allows the special envoy for hostage affairs to press the case more forcefully.. It also triggers government obligations. including mental health support for family members and payment for two trips per year to advocate in Washington. as well as support upon the loved one’s return to the United States.
One case where the designation was granted during the Biden administration was Stephan Hubbard. a retired teacher currently imprisoned in Russia.. In the meantime, lawmakers have continued to push for formal recognition of other detainees.. Sens.. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner have publicly urged Rubio to designate imprisoned U.S.. Navy veteran Chuck Zimmerman as wrongfully detained.
In response to questions from CBS News about whether Trump received Antonov’s letter and whether the detained Americans are being tied to ongoing diplomacy with Russia. a Trump administration official provided an emailed statement.. The official said Trump “has made it a priority to bring home all Americans wrongfully and unjustly detained overseas.” The statement added that the State Department is tracking Antonov’s detention and working to secure his release. but said the department could not comment on case specifics for privacy reasons.
The State Department told CBS News it is closely tracking Antonov’s case and Zimmerman’s as well, remains in regular contact with their families, and continues to advocate for consular access in both matters.
Anastasia Antonov and her mother delivered their letter to Trump through one of his advisers. Sebastian Gorka. last Tuesday. after the family connected with the White House circle during a broader hostage-awareness push at a political dinner.. Gorka and Deputy Envoy for Hostage Affairs Dustin Stewart were honored at the Foley Foundation’s Freedom Awards dinner for efforts the family described as aligned with what Trump calls a top priority: freeing American hostages.. The Antonov family approached this reporter after the event, asking for help.
The Trump administration has said it freed two Americans from custody last year through a prisoner swap that included the help of the CIA: school teacher Marc Fogel and U.S.-Russian dual national Ksenia Karelina.
Russia detainees wrongfully detained designation President Trump State Department hostage diplomacy Putin negotiations Aleksandr Antonov
Trump wont do anything he loves Putin too much everyone knows that
Wait so this guy went BACK to Russia on his own and now we gotta bail him out?? I feel bad for the family but like why would you even go back there in the first place, thats just asking for trouble honestly. My cousin tried to go to Ukraine two years ago and we told him dont do it.
This is exactly what Biden caused when he let the whole Ukraine Russia thing get out of control in the first place. Now Americans are getting locked up over there because the situation was never handled right and the State Department has been useless for years on stuff like this. I remember reading about another guy same exact thing happened to him like three years ago and nothing ever got done either. Its always the families that suffer while politicians just talk and talk and do press conferences.
so he was from the Soviet Union originally