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US Marine Robert Gilman released after 4 years in Russian prison
A former Marine held in a Russian prison since 2022 has been released and is headed back to the United States, President Donald Trump announced Tuesday.
Robert Gilman, a U.S. citizen from Lowell, Massachusetts, is facing a series of health complications, according to those who advocated for his release. The 32-year-old was imprisoned for four years and subjected to torture that has left him in an “essentially catatonic” state, said U.S. Sen. Ed Markey.
“I am proud to announce that American Citizen Robert Gilman, a former United States Marine, is coming HOME!” Trump said on Truth Social on Tuesday. “I just spoke to him, and he had one request — A GREAT cheeseburger when he lands. I will take care of that!”
The former Marine was originally sentenced on charges of assaulting a police officer while drunk. Gilman previously said he does not remember an assault and apologized. Markey said the charges were “questionable.”
Critics of Russian President Vladimir Putin have called Gilman’s imprisonment an example of the leader imprisoning Westerners on trumped up charges in an effort to acquire political bargaining chips, a practice sometimes called “hostage diplomacy.” Some experts point to WNBA star Brittney Griner, who was detained in Russia on the eve of the country’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, as perhaps the most famous example of the practice.
Trump credited Putin with releasing Gilman on a “Humanitarian Basis.” USA Today has reached out to the White House for comment on Gilman’s condition.
The president also posted a photo apparently showing Gilman on the flight back to the United States. He appears pale and thin, and is surrounded by several people holding up an American flag. The president said Gilman’s mother is with him on the flight.
Gilman is expected to land at Joint Base Andrews near Washington, DC, in the evening before continuing on to Texas where he will receive medical treatment.
Release comes after severe medical diagnosis
Gilman’s release comes several months ahead of the end of the 4.5 years in prison he was originally sentenced to serve.
“After my discussions with President Vladimir Putin, Russia has agreed to release him, very much on a Humanitarian Basis,” Trump said in a post on social media. “We appreciate this decision, and the fact that Russia asked for no one in return — No exchange took place.”
According to Markey, Gilman’s severely deteriorating health conditions precipitated his release. The Massachusetts Democrat said Gilman was diagnosed 50 days ago with “dissociative stupor– a condition where he is non-responsive and unable to interact or eat.” The condition has left Gilman “essentially catatonic,” Markey said.
“We don’t yet know the full details of his current condition or the long-term impact on his recovery. I’m grateful that Robert is now on his way back to the United States to receive the life-saving care that he desperately needs,” he continued. “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 laid the blame for Gilman’s condition on his jailers: “Throughout his 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.”
Other Americans remain imprisoned
Top officials celebrated Gilman’s release and that of other Americans who have come home during the second Trump administration. But they said they are working to secure the release of others “unjustly detained.”
“While we appreciate this positive step, we are still seeking the immediate return of all other unjustly detained Americans, including wrongful detainee Stephen Hubbard,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement. “The President will not stop until all unjustly detained Americans are home.”
Hubbard is an American sentenced to a Russian penal colony on charges that he served in Ukrainian defense forces amid Russia’s invasion of the country. The retired school teacher has said he is innocent of the charges and was not serving in Ukrainian forces.
According to Global Reach, an advocacy group that supported Gilman’s release, others who remain imprisoned in Russia are: U.S. Navy veteran Chuck Zimmerman, Aleksandr Antonov, Olga Jezler, Andre Khachatoorian and David Barnes.
Eric Lebson, a chief strategy officer at Global Reach, said all five are suffering severe issues in prison in Russia.
“We don’t want to have to see things get to the point that the Gilman case was before action is taken,” Lebson told USA TODAY. “These are all heading in that direction.”
Others to be recently returned include Marc Fogel, a history teacher from Pennsylvania who taught at a school in Moscow. Fogel was imprisoned in 2021, sentenced to 14 years on charges of possessing marijuana. He was released in February 2025.
Contributing: Francesca Chambers, Reuters
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: US Marine Robert Gilman released after 4 years in Russian prison
Reporting by Michael Loria, USA TODAY / USA TODAY
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect