Kyrill Dmitriev met with American Stephen Gabard, whose release from a Russian prison came after a request from former President Donald Trump. Dmitriev’s warm greeting was noted in this significant exchange.
The Kremlin informed Trump representative Steve Witkoff about Gabard’s freedom during a meeting in St. Petersburg on October 21. Following this, Witkoff and Dmitriev had a conversation with Gabard, who had been sentenced in October 2024. Reports indicated that Gabard endured torture while imprisoned in a Mordovian facility due to his American nationality.
The incident is memorialized in a video where Dmitriev is seen shaking hands with Gabard and expressing gratitude. Gabard had fought alongside Ukrainian forces and was captured by Russian troops.
In the footage published by DRM News on YouTube, Witkoff tells Gabard that Putin allegedly sends him “blessings” and refers to the Russian leader as a “humanist.”
Background
- The Russian government has repeatedly targeted U.S. citizens, detaining them on fabricated charges to leverage for prisoner exchanges involving Russians convicted of crimes in the U.S. and other Western nations. Stephen Gabard is one such individual.
- In October 2024, a Moscow court sentenced Gabard to six years and ten months in prison, accusing him of participating in the conflict on Ukraine’s side. At the time, Gabard was 72 years old. Russian investigators claimed he had lived in Ukraine since 2014 and joined the Izium territorial defense in February 2022, allegedly receiving over $1,000 for his involvement.
- According to Russian media, Gabard confessed to the allegations. However, his sister, Patricia Fox, told Reuters that he had worked as an English teacher in various countries, including Japan and Cyprus, before coming to Ukraine. She expressed doubt that he would have confessed in court, suggesting her brother held pro-Russian views.
- On June 10, 2025, The New York Times reported that Gabard had been tortured in the Mordovian prison due to his nationality, facing beatings, forced standing for prolonged periods, and inadequate food and medical care. American sources indicated that the U.S. raised Gabard’s release during negotiations with Russia, but access to him was not granted to the U.S. embassy in Moscow at that time.
- Media outlets also revealed that Gabard grew up in Michigan and served in the Air Force in California. He retired to Cyprus in 2012, where he lived with his son from a previous marriage.
