Marine veteran who was 'on the verge of death' in Russian prison released: 'Mom is with him on the plane to the US'
After 4 years in a Russian prison, Putin granted a 'humanitarian pardon' to US Marine veteran Robert Gilman, whom his family warned just days ago had been transferred to a hospital in a catatonic-like state and could be on the verge of death. US officials report that he is now on a plane on his way to the US: 'talking and walking'. It is unclear if Russia received anything in return for the release, the sister thanked Trump: 'The President saved my brother's life'.
Russia released on Tuesday US Marine veteran Robert Gilman, who had been imprisoned for more than four years, days after his family warned that he was hospitalized in extremely serious condition and could be on the verge of death. US officials told Reuters that the 32-year-old Gilman, whom Russia imprisoned in 2022 on charges of assaulting a police officer while intoxicated, received a pardon from President Vladimir Putin for "humanitarian reasons".
In the past, such releases were part of prisoner exchange deals, but US President Donald Trump, who announced the release, insisted that Russia did not ask for anything in return and that no prisoner was released for Gilman. Trump posted on his social network Truth Social a picture of Gilman on the plane on his way to the US, looking thin, alongside his mother who is accompanying him - as she and other officials on the flight wave the US flag.
In the post where he announced the release, Trump wrote:
"I am proud to announce that US citizen Robert Gilman, a former 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 agreed to release him, largely on a humanitarian basis. We express appreciation for this decision, and for the fact that Russia did not ask for anyone in return - no exchange took place. Robert will land tonight at Andrews Air Force Base in Washington D.C., where my representatives, some of whom are with him on the plane, will welcome him back to the United States of America! I just spoke with him, and he had one request - a great cheeseburger when he lands. I will take care of that!"
The US officials who spoke to Reuters said that Gilman is being returned to the US on a US State Department plane, and that at the airport in Washington he will be met by special envoy Steve Witkoff, who was involved in the contacts for his release. From there he is expected to continue to a rehabilitation center in San Antonio, Texas. American organizations that worked for his release warned last weekend that against the background of the abuse he suffered in prison, Gilman had sunk into a catatonic-like state in which he barely responded to external stimuli, but one of the US officials told Reuters that he had spoken with him since his release - and that he is talking and walking. "Given the circumstances, his condition seems good," the official said. According to Reuters, there are four doctors on the flight to the US who are examining his medical condition. Gilman's mother, Nina, is also on the flight and has reunited with him.
Gilman was held until recently in a prison in Voronezh, but according to reports at the end of June he was transferred from the prison hospital to the psychiatric ward in a civilian hospital in the city, after he sank into a catatonic-like state diagnosed as "dissociative stupor". Eric Lebson, a senior official at the Global Reach organization that represents his family, said last Thursday that Gilman is unable to eat on his own and is being fed through a tube. "We are very afraid that we will see another case like that of Otto Warmbier," said Lebson. Warmbier was an American student who was imprisoned in North Korea, and was returned to the US in June 2017 in a coma after 17 months in detention. He died that same month from severe brain damage, without regaining consciousness.
An official familiar with the details told Reuters that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio raised Gilman's case in a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Manila on July 23. Gilman's sister, Lexi Hudson, who warned last week that her brother could die if he was not released soon, thanked President Donald Trump this evening for the administration's efforts to release him. "I am so grateful to President Trump for saving my brother's life," she said. "There is no other reason why Robert is alive today other than the fact that President Trump heard about the case and took action".
