Given the way in which relations between the Trump administration and Russia are frequently presented in the liberal media, it is sometimes a surprise to many Americans to read of U.S. officials delivering commentary critical of the Putin regime.
But that is what happened last week when James Gilmore, the U.S. permanent representative to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), criticized Russia for its alleged mistreatment of Ukrainian prisoners.
Gilmore specifically cited a December 2019 United Nations report that maintained Ukrainian prisoners in Russia had suffered from "electroshocks, threats of sexual violence, suffocation, and beatings."
Ambassacor Gilmore brought up the plight of Oleg Prykhodko, a Ukrainian citizen who peacefully demonstrated against the Russian occupation of eastern Ukraine. Russian authorities jailed him on charges of "terrorism" and recently extended his incarceration through February.
The former Virginia governor and state attorney general also charged that Russian "proxies" were harassing members of the OSCE's Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine and restricting their movement.
Although many prisoners in question had been released under a prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine, Gilmore emphasized that many Ukrainians remain incarcerated by the Putin regime. He called on Moscow to immediately release all political prisoners related to Ukraine.
John Gizzi is chief political columnist and White House correspondent for Newsmax. For more of his reports, Go Here Now.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.