USA · 11 August, 2026 · 3 min read
Russia Frees Ex-U.S. Marine Robert Gilman After Vladimir Putin Pardon
32-year-old former Marine Robert Gilman released after more than four years in detention. Pardon granted on humanitarian grounds following talks between Putin and Trump; no prisoner swap.
21 outlets told this the same way.
10 of 12 outlets skipped it: his sentence was extended to 10 years after alleged prison staff assault.
21outlets compared
Pardon, No Swap
Russia freed former U.S. Marine Robert Gilman, 32, after Vladimir Putin granted a pardon on humanitarian grounds, and Trump said Gilman was coming HOME after discussions with Putin.
“I am proud to announce that American citizen Robert Gilman, a former United States Marine, is coming HOME!”
Trump wrote on Truth Social, "I am proud to announce that American citizen Robert Gilman, a former United States Marine, is coming HOME!" and added, "No exchange took place."
Reuters reported Gilman was being held in a prison in Voronezh, about 340 miles (550 kilometers) south of Moscow, and that U.S. officials said Putin approved a pardon for him.
Reuters also said Gilman was expected to arrive at Joint Base Andrews near Washington on Tuesday night and would be evaluated on the flight by four doctors before likely being flown to a rehabilitation center in San Antonio, Texas.
The White House and the State Department had urged Moscow to release him so he could receive medical treatment in the United States, Reuters reported, while Trump said Russia asked for no one in return.
Health Crisis and Voices
Global Reach chief strategy officer Eric Lebson told Reuters that Gilman was moved in late June from a prison hospital to the psychiatric ward of a civilian emergency hospital in a catatonic-like state assessed as a "dissociative stupor."
Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., said in a statement that "Approximately 50 days ago, Robert was diagnosed with a dissociative stupor - a condition where he is non-responsive and unable to interact or eat."
ABC News reported that Carol Barnes said, "I'm happy for them, but I want to be happy for all the Americans to come home," as Gilman flew home with his mother on his way to see the rest of his family in a Texas military hospital.
ABC News also described David Barnes, 69, as serving the longest sentence of any American in Russia, and said he was arrested by Russian police in Moscow in 2022 and later sentenced by a Moscow judge to more than two decades in a penal colony.
ABC News further quoted Montgomery County, Texas, First Assistant District Attorney Kelly Blackburn saying, "There are still no charges on Mr. Barnes in Montgomery County," as families tied to the case pressed for answers.
What Comes Next
Even as Gilman’s release was framed as humanitarian, multiple outlets said the U.S. administration is still seeking other Americans’ return, including wrongful detainee Stephen Hubbard.
Reuters reported that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. appreciated the "positive step" but called for the release of other Americans who he said were unjustly detained in Russia, including Stephen Hubbard.
ABC News said U.S. Sen. Ed Markey warned that "there are still more than five other Americans detained in Russia" and urged the Trump administration to use Robert’s case as motivation to continue advocating for releases.
DW reported Trump and the State Department said the release was on "humanitarian grounds" and that it was not part of an exchange or prisoner swap with Russia, even as Trump posted that "No exchange took place."
Reuters also said Gilman was one of at least 10 Americans known to be imprisoned in Russia, and that the U.S. did not exchange any Russian prisoners to gain his release and made no concessions.