Russia has released 32-year-old U.S. citizen and former Marine Robert Gilman, who had been imprisoned since January 2022. Vladimir Putin approved Gilman’s pardon “based on humanitarian reasons,” Reuters reported on Aug. 12, citing U.S. officials. The Russian authorities had not publicly announced the pardon at the time Reuters published its report.
U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed Robert Gilman’s release in a post on Truth Social:
“I am proud to announce that American Citizen Robert Gilman, a former United States Marine, is coming HOME! In a well known Media story, Robert was imprisoned in Russia in 2022, during the Biden Administration. After my discussions with President Vladimir Putin, Russia has agreed to release him, very much on a Humanitarian Basis. We appreciate this decision, and the fact that Russia asked for no one in return — No exchange took place. Robert will land at Andrews Air Force Base, in Washington, D.C., tonight, where my Representatives, some of whom are on the plane with him, will welcome Robert back to THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA! I just spoke to him, and he had one request — A GREAT cheeseburger when he lands. I will take care of that!”
According to Reuters’ sources, the United States did not hand over any prisoners to Russia in exchange for Gilman’s release, which followed intensive talks between Russian and U.S. representatives over the weekend. One U.S. official described Moscow’s decision as a “goodwill gesture.”
Last week, Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov told officials in the Trump administration that Putin had agreed to sign a decree pardoning Gilman, according to the news agency’s sources. The White House and the U.S. State Department had been seeking Gilman’s release and had asked that he be allowed to leave Russia in order to receive medical treatment.
On Tuesday, Gilman was flown out of Russia on a State Department plane bound for Washington. He was accompanied by his mother, Nina, and four doctors who were there to assess his condition during the flight. A U.S. official who spoke to Gilman told Reuters that he was walking and talking. "All things considered, he seems to be in good shape," the official said.
After arrival on American soil, Gilman was expected to be sent for treatment at a rehabilitation center in San Antonio, Texas.
Five days before his release, Reuters reported that Gilman’s condition may have been critical. Global Reach, an organization representing the Gilman family, said that in late June, when he was transferred from a prison hospital to the psychiatric ward of a civilian hospital, Gilman’s physical state resembled catatonia. His condition was assessed as “dissociative stupor.” According to the organization, Gilman could not communicate, did not open his eyes, and was being fed through a tube.
Gilman was detained in Voronezh in January 2022 after he was removed from a train traveling from Sukhumi to Moscow. Prosecutors said the American, who was intoxicated, kicked a police officer at a police station. Gilman’s father said his son had become unwell and accidentally struck the officer. He said the officer was not injured.
In October 2022, Gilman was sentenced to four and a half years in a penal colony, a Russian prison facility where inmates are usually required to work. In 2023, his sentence was reduced to three and a half years before new cases were opened over alleged attacks on Federal Penitentiary Service staff and an investigator, after which his sentence was increased to ten years.
