US Marine Robert Gilman released from detention in Russia

American Robert Gilman was released from Russian detention for humanitarian reasons on Tuesday amid severe concerns about his health, multiple USA officials told CNN.Gilman, a 32-year-old former Marine, had been detained in Russia since 2022. US President Donald Trump said Tuesday he had spoken with Gilman, whose advocates and family had feared was “near death” after allegedly being subjected to physical and psychological torture.“After my discussions with President Vladimir Putin, Russia has agreed to release him, very much on a Humanitarian Basis,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post Tuesday.A former US Marine has been freed by Russia and is due to arrive back home in the United States after being held for four years.

Robert Gilman, 32, is expected to land at Andrews Air Force Base near USA Washington, DC, on Tuesday night, US President Donald Trump said on his Truth Social platform. Gilman had been detained in 2022 over an alleged altercation with a police officer. Russian President Vladimir Putin had agreed to release him “very much on a humanitarian basis”, Trump wrote, adding that no one was freed by the US in exchange for Gilman’s return.Gilman’s lawyer Irina Brazhnikova told the Russian news agency Interfax on Friday that USA Gilman was in a psychiatric ward of a civilian hospital, where he’s been since early July.He was there “due to a psychiatric condition,” and according to doctors, his condition has worsened, but neither his defense lawyers, nor his family were allowed to visit, she said.Before Gilman was flown out of Russia, he had been in “a dissociative stupor” for 47 days due to the abuse he had suffered in prison, according to Lebson. After Gilman was moved to the hospital, he was hooked up to a feeding tube and handcuffed to a bed.Hospital reports conveyed Gilman’s condition “as dire and life-threatening,” pushing the U.S. government into action and leading to his release, Lebson said.

Markey had called on Russia and the U.S. to work together to get Gilman released. He was among at least eight Americans who remained in Russian custody after a series of high-profile prisoner exchanges with the U.S. in recent years.

Markey blamed Russia for Gilman’s poor health, saying his return to the U.S. was long overdue.

“It is a tragedy that it took Robert’s near-death condition for his case to receive the attention that it required for his release to be negotiated,” Markey said. “Throughout his USA detention, Robert was subjected to physical torture, forced medication, and provocations by Russian authorities. There is no doubt that his treatment by Russian authorities is the reason Robert is in this precarious state today.”The US had urged Moscow to release Gilman so he could receive medical treatment at home. He was being held in a prison in Voronezh, about 550 kilometres (340 miles) south of Moscow. The exact circumstances of his health are unclear.A US official who spoke to Gilman said he was walking and talking. “All things considered, he seems to be in good shape,” the official said. Several doctors will evaluate him during the flight, US officials said. Gilman’s mother, Nina, is on the plane returning to the US with him, Trump said.Trump said a team of officials from his administration had worked on securing Gilman’s release, including his envoy for hostage negotiations Adam Boehler, along with advisers Steve Witkoff, Sebastian Gorka, and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.

US officials said that after his arrival, Gilman is to be flown to a ⁠rehabilitation centre in San Antonio, Texas, for medical treatment.

US Senator Ed Markey, who had been working with Gilman’s family to secure his release, said in a statement that Gilman was in a “near-death” condition, after suffering a severe case of pneumonia and entering a catatonic state where he was “non-responsive and unable to interact or eat”. Markey said Gilman’s release was “long overdue” and he had been “subjected to physical torture, forced medication, and provocations by Russian authorities” during his detention.

Gilman, who served in the US Marines from August 2019 until August 2020, was travelling by train when he was arrested in January 2022 in Voronezh, according to an advocacy group representing his family.

He was detained for allegedly ⁠kicking a police officer while drunk, according to Russian state media. However, his father, Vladimir Gilman, who emigrated to Massachusetts from Russia, wrote in an October 2024 Boston ⁠Globe op-ed that the charges were false. His son, he said, had fallen ⁠ill when the incident occurred and accidentally kicked the officer. The officer was uninjured, dropped the charges and did not present evidence at Gilman’s trial, he wrote. Robert Gilman was initially sentenced to four and a half years in jail, but that sentence was extended several times as he was charged over alleged assaults while in prison.

The US government had recently designated Gilman as wrongfully detained. Gilman had been one of at least 10 Americans known to be imprisoned in ‌Russia.

USA WASHINGTON, Aug 11 (Reuters) - Russia on Tuesday freed a former American Marine who had been jailed in the country since 2022, U.S. President Donald Trump said.In a social media post, Trump said Russia agreed to release Robert Gilman, 32, for humanitarian reasons after discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin, adding that the ‌ailing American would arrive at Joint Base Andrews near Washington on Tuesday night."I am proud to announce that American Citizen Robert Gilman, a former United States Marine, is coming HOME!" Trump said. "We appreciate this decision, and the fact that Russia asked for no one in return — No exchange took place."The White House and the State Department had urged Moscow to release Gilman so he could receive medical treatment in the United States. U.S. officials said Putin approved a pardon for him.

Gilman was being held in a prison in Voronezh, about 340 miles (550 kilometers) south of Moscow. The exact circumstances of his health are unclear.

But Eric Lebson, chief strategy officer of Global ⁠Reach, an advocacy group representing Gilman's family, told Reuters last week that Gilman was moved in late June from the prison hospital to the psychiatric ward of a civilian emergency hospital in a catatonic-like state assessed as a "dissociative stupor."

A U.S. official who spoke to Gilman said he was walking and talking."All things considered he seems to be in good shape," the official said.Trump's post included a photo of a gaunt-looking man on a plane surrounded by a group of smiling people carrying an American flag. The president said he had spoken to Gilman, who requested a cheeseburger upon landing."I will take care of that!" Trump said.Gilman will be evaluated on the flight by four doctors, said the U.S. officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity.After that, Gilman is likely to be flown to a rehabilitation center in San Antonio, Texas, for medical treatment, the officials said.

ARRESTED OVER POLICE OFFICER INCIDENT

Gilman, who served in the U.S. Marines from August 2019 until August 2020, was traveling by train when he was arrested in January 2022 in Voronezh, Lebson said.

He was ‌detained for allegedly ⁠kicking a police officer while drunk, according to Russian state media.

However, his father, Vladimir Gilman, who emigrated to Massachusetts from Russia, wrote in an October 2024 Boston Globe op-ed that the charges were false.

His son, he said, had fallen ill when the incident occurred and accidentally kicked the officer. The officer was uninjured, dropped the charges, and did not present evidence at Gilman's trial, he wrote.

Robert Gilman was sentenced to 4-1/2 years in jail. He was one of at least 10 Americans known to be imprisoned in Russia.The U.S. officials said a Russian senior official, Yuri Ushakov, informed ⁠Trump aides last week that Putin had agreed to sign a decree pardoning Gilman for humanitarian purposes, given Putin's friendship with the president.The release resulted from intense negotiations over the weekend by U.S. and Russian officials. The U.S. did not exchange any Russian prisoners in order to gain Gilman's release and no concessions were made, the officials said."It's a goodwill gesture," one official said.Trump thanked U.S. ⁠envoy Steve Witkoff, senior director for counterterrorism Sebastian Gorka, his son-in-law Jared Kushner, and U.S. special envoy for hostage response Adam Boehler for making the release possible.U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Gilman is among 100 U.S. citizens whose freedom Trump has helped secure during his second term in office. Rubio said the U.S. appreciated the "positive step," but called ⁠for the release of other Americans who he said were unjustly detained in Russia, including Stephen Hubbard.Hubbard, a retired schoolteacher, was sentenced in October 2024 to almost seven years in a penal colony after a court found him guilty of serving in a Ukrainian territorial defense unit against Russian forces, tasked with manning a checkpoint.

Hubbard denied the charge.Reporting by Steve Holland and Jonathan Landay; Additional reporting by Simon Lewis, Ismail Shakil and Ryan Patrick Jones; Editing by Caitlin Webber and Rosalba O'BrienPresident Donald Trump said a former US Marine held in a Russian prison, whose health was reportedly in extremely poor condition, has been released."After my discussions with President Vladimir Putin, Russia has agreed to release him, very much on a Humanitarian Basis," Trump wrote on Truth Social, adding that no prisoner swap took place.Robert Gilman, who is from Massachusetts, was arrested in 2022 for allegedly kicking a police officer while aboard a train. He had recently been moved from prison to a civilian hospital in Russia after going into a catatonic-like state.Gilman was on a flight back to the US accompanied by his mother, doctors, and members of the administration.The BBC understands Gilman is expected to arrive early on Wednesday morning at a US military hospital in Texas where he will be assessed and treated.

Trump said he spoke to Gilman on the phone, "and he had one request — A GREAT cheeseburger when he lands. I will take care of that!"

"During my Administration, we have prioritised bringing home Americans detained abroad, and have done so at a level never seen before," Trump added.

Gilman's health was in "life-threatening condition" after he was subjected to "harsh and abusive treatment", his family said in a statement.

"The Russians treated my brother so badly. They hurt him for no reason, other than that he was both and American and a Marine," his sister, Lexi Hudson, said.

"I am so grateful to President Trump for saving my brother's life," she added.

USA Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey also helped secure her brother's release, she said.In a statement, Markey said: "Approximately 50 days ago, Robert was diagnosed with a dissociative stupor - a condition where he is non-responsive and unable to interact or eat. "Kieran Ramsey, chief investigative officer for Global Reach, the advocacy group representing the former Marine, told Reuters that Gilman was released because the Russian government realised "they're not losing any geopolitical power position by releasing him. This is a humanitarian release".He was arrested for allegedly kicking a police officer while drunk aboard a train to Moscow in January 2022 and was initially given a sentence of three and a half years.He was later found guilty of assaulting prison guards, after he allegedly attacked a prison inspector during a cell check. His sentence was increased to 10 years.In Russian confinement, Gilman was subjected to repeated harassment, including forced exercise training sessions that lasted up to 16 hours and the administration of psychotropic drugs, Eric Lebson of Global Reach told CBS, the BBC's US media partner.The abuse was so severe that at one point Gilman had required a feeding tube in his nose, according to Lebson.He said five other Americans remain in Russia, each contending with medical issues. Their names are Aleksandr Antonov, David Barnes, Olga Jezler, Andre Khachatoorian and Chuck Zimmerman.

"While we appreciate this positive step, we are still seeking the immediate return of all other unjustly detained Americans," Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote on X."The President will not stop until all unjustly detained Americans are home," he continued.“We appreciate this decision, and the fact that Russia asked for no one in return — No exchange took place,” Trump said on his Truth Social platform.

Arrests of Americans have become increasingly common in Russia in recent years. Concern has risen that Russia could be targeting U.S. nationals to use later as bargaining chips in talks to bring back Russians convicted of crimes in the U.S. and Europe. Five other Americans remain imprisoned in Russia with deteriorating medical issues, according to a news release from Global Reach, a group that’s been working to free them.

USA Secretary of State Marco Rubio posted a photo on social media of a gaunt-looking Gilman draped in an American flag and surrounded by his family aboard an airplane.“While we appreciate this positive step, we are still seeking the immediate return of all other unjustly detained Americans,” Rubio stated.

Gilman will arrive at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland outside of Washington on Tuesday evening, Trump said in his post.“I just spoke to him, and he had one request — A GREAT cheeseburger when he lands,” Trump wrote. “I will take care of that!”Gilman is bound for a military hospital in Texas, where he will be medically and psychologically assessed and treated, Eric ‌Lebson, chief strategy officer of Global Reach, said in a statement.

Gilman had his prison sentence extended three times

Gilman was detained in 2022 on charges of beating a police officer after being taken off a train for causing a disturbance. He was convicted and handed a 3.5-year sentence.

He later was convicted of attacking a prison inspector during a cell check, beating an investigator and assaulting a guard. In October 2024, he was sentenced to eight years and one month. His sentence was extended in December to 10 years after he was found guilty of assaulting prison guards.Russian media reported that he pleaded guilty to the charges and apologized to the guards he was charged with assaulting. The business daily Kommersant said he explained his actions by saying he wanted to stay in the prison where he was serving his sentence and avoid being moved to another penitentiary.Gilman’s father has disputed the charges against his son, while the State Department has said the U.S. determined that Gilman was wrongfully detained,Gilman’s sister, Lexie Hudson, credited Trump and U.S. Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts with bringing about his release.“There is no other reason that Robert is alive today other than that President Trump heard about the case and took action,” said Hudson, who thanked Markey “for leading our advocacy efforts in Congress.”

“The Russians treated my brother so badly,” Hudson said. “They hurt him for no reason, other than that he was both an American and a Marine. What did they get out of this? Why did they do this to such a wonderful person?”

Russian officials did not immediately comment on Gilman’s release. Russia’s Federal Penitentiary Service did not respond to a request for comment on his health deteriorating behind bars.

Posted on 2026/08/12 08:41 AM