American citizen Joseph Tater has left Russia after being held in Moscow since August 2024, first under accusations of abusing hotel staff claims he denied and later transferred to a psychiatric clinic, according to Russian state news agency TASS.
Tater was initially detained on August 12, 2024, charged with “hooliganism” and served 15 days in jail. His detention was extended as Russian investigators pursued a more serious charge of violence against a police officer.
On April 6, a Russian court ordered that Tater be transferred to a psychiatric institution for compulsory treatment, ruling he was not criminally responsible due to diagnosed mental health disorders. According to TASS, Tater was released from the clinic on June 6, reportedly for outpatient treatment as there was no longer justification to hold him.
TASS also reported that Tater is no longer in Russia, although his current location remains unknown. The U.S. Embassy in Moscow and the U.S. State Department have not commented on the case.
Earlier, Reuters cited a Kremlin source stating Tater was one of nine U.S. citizens detained in Russia, whom the U.S. government had sought to include in a potential prisoner swap.
This information follows remarks by Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov, who revealed that a prisoner exchange had been discussed in a phone call between President Donald Trump and President Vladimir Putin on May 20.
Since Trump took office in January, two prisoner swaps have already occurred:
- In April, Russian-American Ksenia Karelina was released by Russia in exchange for Arthur Petrov, a German-Russian citizen accused of exporting sensitive microelectronics.
- In February, the U.S. released Russian cybercriminal Aleksandr Vinnik in exchange for American teacher Marc Fogel.
