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Gilman freed in US
Russia freed former US Marine Robert Gilman, 32, and he was due to arrive back in the United States after being held for four years, President Donald Trump said on Truth Social.
“Russia on Tuesday freed a former American Marine who had been jailed in the country since 2022”
Trump said Russia agreed to release Gilman “very much on a humanitarian basis” and that “No exchange took place,” with Gilman expected to land at Andrews Air Force Base near Washington, DC, on Tuesday night.
Reuters reported Gilman was being held in a prison in Voronezh, about 340 miles (550 kilometers) south of Moscow, and that his health circumstances were unclear before the release.
The BBC said Gilman was on a flight back to the US accompanied by his mother and doctors after being moved from prison to a civilian hospital in Russia following a catatonic-like state.
CBS News added that Gilman would be medically and psychologically assessed and treated at a U.S. military hospital in Texas after arrival at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.
Health claims and denials
Advocates and family members described Gilman as gravely ill, with Sen. Ed Markey saying he was in a “dissociative stupor” and “non-responsive and unable to interact or eat,” and with NBC News saying he was believed to be seriously ill.
Markey also said Gilman was “essentially catatonic and also suffered a severe case of pneumonia,” while Reuters reported that a U.S. official who spoke to Gilman said he was walking and talking and that “All things considered, he seems to be in good shape.”
The BBC quoted Gilman’s sister Lexi Hudson saying, “The Russians treated my brother so badly,” and said she added that they hurt him “for no reason, other than that he was both an American and a Marine.”
CBS News reported that Global Reach chief strategy officer Eric Lebson said Gilman had been in “a dissociative stupor” for 47 days due to abuse, and that Lebson alleged forced exercise sessions lasting up to 16 hours and psychotropic drugs.
CNN said it was unclear when Trump and Putin spoke about the case, and it quoted Trump’s post that Gilman had one request—“A GREAT cheeseburger when he lands.”
Next steps for detainees
Even as Gilman’s release was announced, U.S. officials said the case was part of broader efforts to bring home Americans detained in Russia, with Marco Rubio saying the administration was “still seeking the immediate return of all other unjustly detained Americans.”
““No exchange took place,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform”
Reuters reported that the White House and the State Department had urged Moscow to release Gilman so he could receive medical treatment in the United States, and that Putin approved a pardon for him.
AP News said concern has risen that Russia could be targeting U.S. nationals to use later as bargaining chips, and it reported that five other Americans remain imprisoned in Russia with deteriorating medical issues.
ABC News said Gilman’s release was not part of a prisoner exchange and that no other concessions were provided, while CNN said the State Department spokesperson hoped Gilman’s release “leads to the release of Americans unjustly held in Russia, such as wrongful detainee Stephen Hubbard.”
The BBC added that Rubio welcomed the release but said the administration is still seeking the immediate return of other unjustly detained Americans, including wrongful detainee Stephen Hubbard.