Robert Gilman, 32, was released Tuesday after spending more than four years in a Russian prison on disputed charges related to a police officer beating.
President Donald Trump announced Gilman’s release on Truth Social, saying he discussed the case with Russian President Vladimir Putin. He said Gilman was released “very much on a humanitarian basis,” and will land at Andrews Air Force Base in Washington, D.C.
Who is Robert Gilman?
Gilman served in the U.S. Marines from August 2019 until August 2020, and was detained in 2022. He was handed a three-and-a-half-year sentence for beating a police officer after being taken off a train for allegedly causing a disturbance.
His sentence was extended in October 2024, when Gilman was accused of attacking a prison inspector during a cell check. He allegedly beat an investigator and assaulted a guard.
It was extended a third time last year, when he was found guilty of assaulting prison guards.
Gilman’s reported illness
Gilman’s release comes about 50 days after he was diagnosed with “dissociative stupor — a condition where he is non-responsive and unable to interact or eat,” Senator Ed Markey, D-Mass., said in a statement.
“He was essentially catatonic and also suffered a severe case of pneumonia,” Markey added. “We don’t yet know the full details of his current condition or the long-term impact on his recovery.”
Last month, a Russian newspaper reported Gilman was admitted to a hospital, and on Sunday, Gilman’s sister made a plea for his release, saying she was worried he would die if he weren’t released.
“I’m more afraid for my brother than I have been since this horrible nightmare started,” she said in a statement, according to Reuters.
Now, Markey is blaming Russia for his current state, saying he 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,” he added.
“Robert Gilman has been reunited with his wonderful mother, Nancy, who is also on the plane with him, and will soon get to see all of his loved ones,” Trump said in his post Tuesday.
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