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Secretary of State Marco Rubio has announced that the Trump administration secured the release of the 47th wrongfully detained American overseas since President Donald Trump took office 100 days ago.
Youras Ziankovich had been accused of being involved in a planned U.S.-backed coup against Belarussian Dictator Alexander Lukashenko, and was detained in Moscow back in 2021 and brought to Minsk, Belarus to be incarcerated. He was released earlier this week without a prisoner swap and was brought to Lithuania by American officials, including Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs Chris Smith.
Rubio made the anTrunouncement in a post on X, writing: “Thanks to @POTUS‘s leadership, Belarus has released another wrongfully detained U.S. citizen. No president has done so much, so quickly, to keep Americans safe abroad.”
He went on to note that the 47 Americans released from wrongful detention were brought home from countries like Afghanistan, Russia, and Venezuela thanks to high-level diplomatic efforts.
Thanks to @POTUS's leadership, Belarus has released another wrongfully detained U.S. citizen. No president has done so much, so quickly, to keep Americans safe abroad.
In just 100 days, we've also secured the release of 47 unjustly detained Americans around the world – including…
— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) April 30, 2025
Ziankovich’s wife, Alena Dzenisavets, issued a statement celebrating her husband’s return.
“I knew this day would come. It took 1,480 days, but he survived and is on his way home to me and to America,” Dzenisavets said, according to CNN. “I want to thank President Trump, Secretary Rubio, and Special Envoy Boehler and the SPEHA staff. I also want to express my appreciation to Rep. Morgan Luttrell and the nonprofits Global Reach and the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation for their help advocating for Youras.”
This comes after two other wrongfully detained Americans were released from Belarus thanks to the Trump administration: Anastasia Nuhfer and another individual who preferred to remain anonymous.
“We have one American citizen, which is a huge win and a response to President Trump’s peace through strength agenda,” Smith explained when the unnamed American was released in February. “The Belarusians are responding to this and we are going to keep working until we get all Americans out.”
This also comes after one of the most high-profile prisoner releases, where the Trump administration finally secured the release of American schoolteacher Marc Fogel, who was also arrested in Russia in 2021. Former President Joe Biden famously left Fogel out of a prisoner swap where he secured the release of basketball star Brittney Griner in exchange for a Russian arms dealer known as the “merchant of death.” Fogel has since visited the White House and called Trump a “hero” for saving him.
