Former US Marine Freed by Russia After 4 Years Amid Severe Health Concerns
By The Media Line Staff
Former US Marine Robert Gilman was released from a Russian prison after four years in custody following a US request that Moscow free him on humanitarian grounds because of his severely deteriorating health.
Gilman, 32, was expected to arrive Tuesday night at Joint Base Andrews near Washington. US officials said Russian President Vladimir Putin approved a pardon, and no prisoner exchange was involved.
“I am proud to announce that American Citizen Robert Gilman, a former United States Marine, is coming HOME!” President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social. “We appreciate this decision, and the fact that Russia asked for no one in return—No exchange took place.”
Russian authorities arrested Gilman in Voronezh in January 2022 after accusing him of kicking a police officer while intoxicated, Russian state media reported.
His father, Vladimir Gilman, disputed that account in an October 2024 Boston Globe op-ed. He wrote that his son became ill during the incident and inadvertently kicked the officer. The officer was not injured, later withdrew the complaint, and presented no evidence during the trial, according to the elder Gilman.
The White House and State Department had pressed Moscow to allow Gilman to return to the United States for medical care as concerns about his condition intensified.
Gilman was transferred to a psychiatric ward and reportedly entered a dissociated state resembling catatonia after abuse he allegedly suffered while imprisoned, said Eric Lebson, chief strategy officer of Global Reach, an advocacy organization representing Gilman’s family.
Hospital reports characterized Gilman’s condition “as dire and life-threatening,” Lebson said.
Those reports prompted the US government to intervene and ultimately resulted in “a unilateral humanitarian release” by Russian authorities, according to Lebson.
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