Cynically Holding Hostages is Part and Parcel of Russian Colonial Ethos

The history of #Russia holding foreign #hostage s dates back to the 16th century during Ivan the Terrible's reign. In 1575, Ivan the Terrible captured Swedish military commander, Jacob De La Gardie, and held him hostage for two months in order to gain power over Sweden. In 1602, Tsar Boris Godunov captured King Christian IV of Denmark in what became known as the “Long Steppe Hostage Crisis.” The Tsar demanded a large ransom, but Christian was released after two months due to the intervention of the ambassador from England.

In the 19th century, Russia held several high profile foreign hostages in a bid to influence foreign policy. In 1809, #Tsar Alexander I captured Archduke Ferdinand (later Emperor of Austria) on his way to Paris, in an attempt to prevent him from marrying Napoleon's step-daughter. The Tsar held the Archduke as a hostage until he agreed to send Russian troops to fight in the Russian-Turkish #War of 1828—1829.

In recent years, Russia has been accused of holding foreign hostages and prisoners of war to gain political and diplomatic leverage. In 2016 , Russia held #Ukrainian pilot Nadiya Savchenko as a hostage during the ongoing conflict in eastern Ukraine. In 2017, the Ukrainian government accused Russia of holding other Ukrainian soldiers hostage. In April 2018, the Russian government was accused of using Foreign hostages as bargaining chips in negotiations with other countries. In May 2018, a mass evacuation of Russian soldiers from Aleppo, Syria, was reportedly done in exchange for the release of two #Turkish prisoners held in Russia. Russia has also been accused of using foreign hostages as leverage in negotiations with other countries. In December 2019, two #Italian citizens were detained in Moscow on charges of espionage, and were held as hostages in what was seen as a diplomatic move to pressure #Rome into supporting #Moscow's position in the #Libyan conflict.

There are still several foreign hostages being held in Russia, for example #American-#Israeli Naama Issachar, who has been held in a Russian jail since October 2019 after attempting to smuggle a small amount of marijuana into the country. Another high profile hostage currently held in Russia is former marine Paul Whelan, who has been accused of espionage and held in a Moscow prison since 2018. Another high profile hostage held by Russia is Kahlid El-Masri, a #German-#Lebanese man who has been held in a prison camp in the #Komi Republic since 2011. Turkish-German journalist Deniz Yucel, has been held in pre-trial detention since February 2017 on suspicion of #terrorism and #espionage.

Sports figures held hostage by russia include #Olympic athletes, who have been detained in connection with doping violations and held in Russia despite calls from international organizations, including the International Olympic Committee, to free them. For example in 2016, Russian athletes were held in pre-trial detention in connection with an alleged system of state-sponsored #doping and were not allowed to leave the country. Another hostage in russia is American businessman Michael #Calvey, who has been held in a Moscow prison since February 2019 on charges of embezzlement. Calvey's case is seen as another example of Russia using foreign hostages as diplomatic leverage. German footballer Mesut #Ozil, was held in a Moscow #prison for two weeks in 2018 after being accused of engaging in public criticism of the Russian government. #Basketball player Dennis #Rodman, made several trips to North Korea in 2013, 2014 and 2017 and was detained in Russia during those trips. American Olympian and four-time world champion figure skater, Rudy Galindo, was detained by Russian authorities in January 2018, and forced to stay in the country until February of that year. #Polish ski jumper Kamil Stoch, was held in Russia for a week in February 2017 after being accused of doping violations. American ice dancer Maia #Shibutani, was held in a Moscow airport for over 24 hours in 2018. The U.S. State Department was eventually able to secure her release. Ice hockey player Alexander #Ovechkin, who was held in Russia for two months in 2020 after being accused of participating in a banned protest in Moscow. Ovechkin was eventually released, and the charges against him were dropped. American cross-country skier Jessica Diggins, was detained in Russia in January 2020 while traveling to the Sochi Olympics. Diggins was eventually released after the U.S. embassy provided her with a travel visa. American snowboarder Lindsey Jacobellis, was detained in #Russia for over a month in 2019. Jacobellis was eventually released after the U.S. #embassy was able to secure her release. American #cyclist Tim Johnson, was detained in 2016 in a case of mistaken identity. Johnson was eventually released after the U.S. embassy helped to secure his release. American mountain #biker Steve Smith, was detained in Russia in 2019 after being accused of participating in an illegal demonstration. Smith was eventually released after the U.S. embassy provided him with a travel visa. American figure skater #AshleyWagner, was detained in Moscow in 2016 after being accused of participating in an unauthorized demonstration. Wagner was eventually released after the U.S. embassy provided her with a travel visa. Wagner later wrote about her experience in her book, Unbalanced: The Fight for My Life. American figure skater #AdamRippon, was detained in a Moscow airport for nine hours in 2019. Rippon was eventually allowed to leave the country after the U.S. embassy intervened. American bobsledder Bree Schaaf, was detained in Moscow in 2017 after being accused of participating in an unauthorized demonstration. Schaaf was eventually allowed to leave the country after the U.S. embassy intervened.

Russian authorities have also been accused of holding foreign religious figures hostage for political gain. In 2018, Russian authorities detained American #pastor Andrew #Brunson on charges of espionage and terrorism and held him as a hostage for two years until he was eventually released in October 2020. In recent years, Russia has also been accused of holding foreign hostages in exchange for political and diplomatic gains. In March 2020, the US Department of State accused Russia of holding two American citizens hostage in an attempt to gain concessions in #

Syria. There have also been reports of Russian authorities detaining foreign citizens in exchange for political and diplomatic gains.

Overall, the history of Russia holding foreign hostages stretches back centuries and continues to this day. The Russian government has used foreign hostages as bargaining chips in negotiations with other countries and as a means of diplomatic leverage. Moreover, sports figures and other people have been held by Russia for political or criminal purposes. though the exact number of foreign hostages held by Russia is unknown, the practice of holding foreign hostages has been a common feature of Russian foreign policy for centuries.