Russia has released former US Marine Robert Gilman, who had been held in a Russian prison since 2022. He was pardoned by Putin so that the American could receive medical treatment in the United States.
This was reported by Reuters, citing unnamed American officials.
According to them, on Tuesday, August 11, 32-year-old Gilman, along with his mother, was already on board a US State Department plane bound for Washington. He will be examined by doctors during the flight.
The Americanʼs relatives and lawyers told Reuters the day before that Gilman had been in critical condition since late June after being beaten and tortured. They said he could not communicate, did not respond to external stimuli, and was being fed through a tube.
However, American officials said Gilman was “in good shape”. At least, they said, he could walk and talk.
Upon arrival in the United States, Gilman will be met by US presidential envoy Steve Witkoff and Deputy National Security Advisor Sebastian Gorka, who, along with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Trumpʼs son-in-law Jared Kushner and other officials, have been pushing for Gilmanʼs release. The American is then scheduled to be transported to a rehabilitation center in San Antonio, Texas.
According to US officials, Russia and the United States agreed to Gilmanʼs release after talks this weekend. The US did not exchange Russian prisoners for him. Washington called Gilmanʼs release a "gesture of goodwill".
Who is Robert Gilman?
Robert Gilman is a former US Marine who served in the US Army from August 2019 to August 2020. He was detained in Voronezh in January 2022. Russian authorities accused him of assaulting a police officer while intoxicated and sentenced him to 4.5 years in prison.
The sentence was later increased to 10 years, accusing the American of attacking prison workers. His family and human rights activists call all the charges fabricated.
At the time of his release, he was one of at least 10 Americans held in Russian prisons.
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