US Citizen Adopted from Russia Sentenced to 12.5 Years in Prison After Returning to Find Birth Mother

Robert Woodland, a 32-year-old US citizen adopted from Russia as a toddler, has been sentenced to a 12-and-a-half-year prison term in Moscow.

The sentence follows his return to Russia in search of his biological mother, where he was arrested earlier this year on drug charges.

US citizen Robert Woodland was sentenced to more than 12 months in prison in Moscow on Thursday. AP

Woodland’s legal troubles began after he chose to remain in Russia following a dramatic reunion with his birth family on a Russian television show. He was found guilty by a Moscow court of attempting to traffic a significant quantity of drugs as part of an organized group.

The English teacher awaited his sentence in a glass courtroom box. AP

During his court appearance, Woodland was pictured inside a glass courtroom box with a shaved head, briefly smiling before the verdict was delivered. Russian media identified him as an English teacher interviewed by Komsomolskaya Pravda in 2020, where he recounted being born in Russia’s Perm region in 1991 and adopted by an American couple at the age of two.

Woodland was accused of attempting to traffic a large quantity of drugs as part of an organized group. AP

Woodland’s legal defence maintained that Moscow lacked evidence linking him to drug sales, a claim reiterated by his lawyer, Stanislav Kshevitskii, in April. However, Kshevitskii did not immediately comment following the court’s decision.

Woodland smiled and flashed a peace sign during a court hearing last month. YURI KOCHETKOV/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Woodland had visited Russia to search for his birth mother, opting to stay there and live as an English teacher. AP

Woodland’s case adds to recent tensions between the US and Russia, with Washington accusing Moscow of detaining Americans as political leverage amidst ongoing conflict in Ukraine. His sentencing coincides with the trial of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, also a US citizen, facing espionage charges in Russia.

Sola Adeniji

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