By Aila Boyd
Virginia’s congressional delegation is urging the U.S. State Department to prioritize the case of a Salem native who has been held in Russian custody for more than 250 days.
In a bipartisan letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, U.S. Rep. Ben Cline and Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine called for the formal designation of Charles “Chuck” Zimmerman as “wrongfully detained” and urged swift diplomatic action to secure his release.
Zimmerman, a Salem native, retired Navy veteran and master electrician, has been detained in Russia since June 2025 after his sailboat was intercepted in the Black Sea.
“We write to elevate the plight and wrongful detention of American Charles ‘Chuck’ Zimmerman,” the lawmakers wrote. “A father of two, Navy veteran, master electrician, and sailor, Zimmerman has been held for more than 250 days … under what can only be described as politically retributive pretenses.”
According to information shared by advocacy group Americans Left Behind and outlined in the letter, Zimmerman set out to fulfill a lifelong goal of sailing around the world after retiring. He invested his life savings into a 35-foot sailboat, the Trude Zena, and planned to travel to New Zealand for work.
After reaching the Mediterranean Sea, Zimmerman made a detour into the Black Sea. On June 17, 2025, shortly after entering via the Bosphorus Strait, he was intercepted by the Russian Navy in international waters.
Zimmerman texted his sister during the encounter, indicating he was ordered to follow Russian forces under threat of military action. He was escorted for approximately 22 hours to the Russian port of Sochi, a timeline his family and advocates say supports that the initial encounter occurred outside Russian territorial waters.
Upon arrival, Zimmerman voluntarily declared and surrendered a firearm kept onboard for self-defense, which advocates say is common among sailors traveling internationally. He was then arrested on arms smuggling charges and later sentenced to five years in prison.
Lawmakers raised concerns about his treatment and lack of access to U.S. officials, noting that no American representative has seen him in more than seven months. They also cited reports that he is being held in a penal colony with limited nutrition and no confirmed opportunity for exercise.
“We therefore ask that this case be made a priority for the Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs so that the U.S. Government can work expeditiously towards his release,” the lawmakers wrote.
Zimmerman’s sister, Robin Stultz, has been advocating for his release and recently traveled to Washington to meet with lawmakers and administration officials.
In a January statement, Stultz described her brother’s detention as an example of “hostage diplomacy,” in which Americans are detained abroad to gain leverage in negotiations.
“Today, Chuck sits in a Russian prison, held on bogus charges,” she said. “If the U.S. government does not intervene with the Russians, he will remain there for at least the next five years.”
Stultz said she has been encouraged by engagement from Virginia’s congressional delegation, including outreach from Cline and the offices of Warner and Kaine, but stressed that more urgent action is needed.
“If that is true, then urgency must match rhetoric,” she said.
She has also called on the public to raise awareness and press federal officials to act.
“No American family should have to learn the inner workings of hostage diplomacy because a loved one has been wrongfully detained,” Stultz said. “Help us bring him home.”
Zimmerman has been held since mid June 2025. Lawmakers said they are continuing to press the State Department to designate him as wrongfully detained and to include his case in ongoing negotiations with the Russian government.
