Russian authorities released 32-year-old American former Marine Robert Gilman on humanitarian grounds. Gilman, whose health deteriorated sharply during his imprisonment in Voronezh, was flown out of Russia toward Washington Dulles International Airport following lobbying efforts involving Steve Witkoff and Gorka Sebestyén.
The release of Robert Gilman brings an end to a detention that began in January 2022 when he was removed from a train in Voronezh and accused of kicking a police officer while intoxicated. Russian courts originally sentenced the former Marine to four and a half years in prison, a term that was later extended after additional accusations involving prison staff.
Deteriorating Health and Medical Transfer in Voronezh
During his time in a Voronezh prison, Gilman’s physical and mental condition experienced a severe decline, according to legal representatives for his family. In late June, prison authorities transferred him from a prison hospital to the psychiatric wing of a civilian emergency hospital. Reports indicated that he slipped into a dissociative stupor, a condition marked by complete unresponsiveness to external stimuli where a conscious patient lies or sits motionless for days. PBS news reports, citing an announcement made by Donald Trump on his social media platform and reported by the New York Times, noted that Gilman’s health was so compromised that he had fallen into a catatonic state lasting for weeks, during which he neither moved nor reacted to anything, though doctors were unable to diagnose a specific physical problem.
Family accounts provide additional context regarding how Gilman came to be in Russia. His parents emigrated from Russia to the United States, and Gilman was born in Poland during the journey, though he spent his entire life in the United States and previously served as a marine. According to his family’s accounts, Gilman had set out for Moldova at the beginning of 2022 where a teaching job awaited him, but he fell ill while traveling through Russian territory and decided to remain in Russia for the duration of his recovery, according to reporting from 444. During a train journey, he fell ill and—in what sources describe as one of many obscure elements in the story—was transported to a police station rather than a hospital. There, according to his father’s account, he accidentally kicked a police officer, an action that his father noted normally would have incurred at most a fine or a suspended sentence, but resulted in a first-instance conviction of four and a half years of forced labor because he was singled out as an American.
Sentence Extension and Diplomatic Intervention
What began as a four-and-a-half-year sentence shifted dramatically after three years behind bars. Russian authorities increased his prison term to 10 years, alleging that after three years in prison he had attacked prison guards and an investigator. US officials maintained that Gilman was wrongfully detained.
President Vladimir Putin granted him a pardon after Steve Witkoff and Gorka Sebestyén lobbied for his release, with Donald Trump directly discussing the release with Putin, who according to the post asked for nothing in return. US leadership and government representatives announced the humanitarian release, noting that under the circumstances the man was doing well, was able to walk on his own, and even spoke during the flight toward Washington Dulles International Airport, where further medical examinations and rehabilitation awaited him.
Broader Context of American Detainees in Russia
The U.S. State Department spokesperson stated that Gilman is considered a wrongfully detained person, and noted that the same applies to Stephen Hubbard, a retired teacher currently imprisoned in a Russian prison. Hubbard was sentenced by the Russians in October 2024 to seven years in a penal colony because they claimed the man served in a Ukrainian territorial defense unit.
As Gilman boarded the transport flight, his interactions with officials suggested an abrupt shift from the catatonic state observed in the hospital. Donald Trump’s relevant post indicated that Gilman’s condition began showing unexpected improvement during transport—or perhaps he had simply faked the catatonia the entire time—noting that he spoke with the freed prisoner, whose only request upon landing was for a huge cheeseburger.
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