Former U.S. Marine Freed From Russia After 4-Year Ordeal
Robert Gilman, a 32-year-old former U.S. Marine and English teacher from Lowell, Massachusetts, returned to the United States on Tuesday after more than four years of detention in Russia, ending a 1,666-day ordeal that his family and advocates say left him near death. President Donald Trump announced the release, saying Russian President Vladimir Putin granted Gilman a pardon on humanitarian grounds with no prisoner exchange. Gilman was flown home on a State Department plane accompanied by his mother, doctors, and U.S. officials, and was taken to a military hospital in San Antonio, Texas for medical and psychological treatment, according to NBC News.
A Rapidly Deteriorating Condition
Gilman’s release came after weeks of mounting concern over his health. Approximately 50 days before his release, he was diagnosed with a “dissociative stupor” — a condition where he is non-responsive and unable to interact or eat — and was transferred from a prison hospital to the psychiatric ward of a civilian emergency hospital in Voronezh in late June, as The Guardian reported. He was essentially catatonic, suffered a severe case of pneumonia, and required tube feeding.
Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., who campaigned for Gilman’s release for two years, said in a statement that throughout his detention, Gilman was “subjected to physical torture, forced medication, and provocations by Russian authorities.” Markey added: “There is no doubt that his treatment by Russian authorities is the reason Robert is in this precarious state today.”
The Long Road to Release
Gilman, who served in the U.S. Marines from August 2019 until August 2020, was arrested on January 17, 2022, in Voronezh, Russia, after allegedly kicking a police officer while aboard a train. He was initially sentenced to prison time, but his sentence was extended multiple times — first to eight years and one month in October 2024 for allegedly attacking prison staff, then to 10 years in December 2025 after he was found guilty of assaulting prison guards, according to BBC News.
His family has consistently disputed the charges. His father, Vladimir Gilman, who emigrated from Russia to Massachusetts, wrote in a Boston Globe op-ed that his son had fallen ill when the incident occurred and accidentally kicked the officer, who was uninjured and dropped the charges.
Trump said he discussed the case directly with Putin, who agreed to release Gilman “very much on a Humanitarian Basis.” In his Truth Social announcement, Trump noted that Russia “asked for no one in return — No exchange took place.” He added that Gilman had one request: “A GREAT cheeseburger when he lands. I will take care of that!”
A Rare Humanitarian Gesture
The release is notable because Russia typically seeks prisoners in exchange for American detainees. As The Moscow Times reported, the decision to free Gilman without securing a prisoner in return is highly unusual and may signal Moscow’s eagerness to improve relations with the Trump administration.
Kieran Ramsey, chief investigative officer of Global Reach, the advocacy group representing Gilman’s family, described the ordeal as “an over 1,600-day nightmare.” He said Gilman was “subjected to severe physical abuse if not torture, mental abuse, mental torture.” Eric Lebson, chief strategy officer of Global Reach, warned that advocates were “seriously worried that we could see another situation like Otto Warmbier,” referring to the U.S. college student who died after being freed from North Korean detention.
Others Still Detained
Gilman was one of at least 10 Americans known to be imprisoned in Russia. According to Global Reach, five other Americans with health issues remain detained in Russia: Aleksandr Antonov, David Barnes, Olga Jezler, Andre Khachatoorian, and Chuck Zimmerman.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio acknowledged the release as a “positive step” but made clear the administration’s work is not finished. “While we appreciate this positive step, we are still seeking the immediate return of all other unjustly detained Americans,” Rubio wrote on X. “The President will not stop until all unjustly detained Americans are home.”
Gilman’s sister, Lexie Hudson, credited Trump with saving her brother’s life. “There is no other reason that Robert is alive today other than that President Trump heard about the case and took action,” she said in a statement issued through Global Reach. “The Russians treated my brother so badly. They hurt him for no reason, other than that he was both an American and a Marine.”
What’s Next
Gilman is expected to undergo comprehensive medical and psychological assessment at the military hospital in San Antonio, where his family will join him as he begins the long road to recovery. The full extent of the long-term impact of his detention on his health remains unknown, as Fox News reported. His release also raises renewed attention on the remaining Americans still held in Russian custody, and whether the humanitarian precedent set by this case might open the door for further releases.