When former Marine Trevor Reed returned home to Texas in April 2022 after spending nearly three years in a Russian prison, he sought justice in an unexpected way. Rather than pursuing a peaceful life or attending college, Reed decided to travel to Ukraine to fight against Russian forces. “I knew I could never be myself again if justice wasn’t served,” he shared in an exclusive interview. His desire for retribution took both his family and himself on a harrowing journey.
Reed’s father, who had worked tirelessly to secure his son’s release, reacted with shock upon hearing of Reed’s plans. In his memoir, titled Retribution: A Former US Marine’s Harrowing Journey from Wrongful Imprisonment in Russia to the Front Lines of the Ukrainian War, Reed recounts the moment he disclosed his intentions to his father. “His face went white. His eyes sank into his skull. He looked like he had seen a ghost,” Reed wrote.
Reed’s military background is notable. He served four years in the Marines without deployment and later worked as a security contractor in Afghanistan. His life took a dramatic turn in August 2019 during a night out in Moscow with Alina Tsybulnik, a woman he had met online. Following a night of heavy drinking, he found himself in a police station, unable to recall what had occurred.
Despite initially being told he was not detained, Reed’s situation escalated. His limited Russian language skills rendered him unable to navigate the city alone. When the police chief arrived, the atmosphere shifted dramatically. Reed was detained and accused of assaulting officers—claims that were later deemed baseless. John Sullivan, the US ambassador to Moscow, described the charges as “ridiculous” and the trial as a “theater of the absurd.”
The prosecution’s case crumbled under scrutiny, with even the investigator breaking down in tears during a preliminary hearing. Reed was ultimately sentenced to SIZO-5, a notorious detention center in Moscow. Facing harsh conditions, he endured solitary confinement and severe malnutrition, losing over 50 pounds and battling health crises, including COVID-19 and what appeared to be tuberculosis.
After 985 days in captivity, Reed was finally released in a prisoner swap. However, he emerged from the experience profoundly changed. “This isn’t a metaphor. I had become a different human in the gulag,” he wrote. Driven by a thirst for revenge, he joined Rogue Team, an elite volunteer unit fighting in Eastern Ukraine.
Reed arrived in Bakhmut, where he felt a sense of purpose. “I felt that live or die, by finally making it there, I was taking my life back from the Russians,” he recounted, finding a sense of inner peace for the first time in years. His role included reconnaissance and direct combat missions against Russian troops.
Tragedy struck during a nighttime operation in early summer 2023. After a successful assault, Reed and his team were navigating a minefield when disaster struck. A fellow volunteer stepped on a mine, resulting in a chaotic rescue attempt. Reed himself was severely injured when another mine detonated. “Blood streamed from my legs,” he recalled, managing to apply a tourniquet before succumbing to shock.
Despite his harrowing injuries, Reed survived and was evacuated under fire. He spent weeks in hospitals in Ukraine and Germany recovering from his wounds. While he managed to retain his leg, the battle cost his team dearly. Several members were killed, and others, like his teammate Belka, lost limbs but returned to continue fighting.
Now back in Texas at the age of 33, Reed reflects on his journey. He remains active in supporting families of Americans wrongfully detained abroad through the organization Bring Our Families Home. His perspective on revenge has shifted. “In spite of everything the Russians did to me, I will not be broken,” he stated. “In my own way, I have paid them back. I have learned that the greatest revenge is to survive and be free.”
Reed’s story is one of resilience and transformation, illustrating the profound impacts of war and imprisonment on the human spirit.
