Russia Releases Former U.S. Marine Robert Gilman After More Than Four Years in Detention

Russia released former U.S. Marine Robert Gilman, 32, after more than four years in Russian detention, with President Donald Trump saying the release came on humanitarian grounds and that Russia asked for no one in return.

“After my discussions with President Vladimir Putin, Russia has agreed to release him, very much on a Humanitarian Basis”

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Trump said he discussed Gilman’s case with Russian President Vladimir Putin and wrote on Truth Social, "After my discussions with President Vladimir Putin, Russia has agreed to release him, very much on a Humanitarian Basis," adding that "No exchange took place".

Al Jazeera

The release followed a period in which Gilman’s health had deteriorated significantly, and Eric Lebson of Global Reach said Gilman was on his way to a U.S. military hospital in Texas for medical and psychological assessment and treatment.

Multiple reports placed Gilman’s departure from Russia on August 11, with Trump saying Gilman would arrive at Joint Base Andrews near Washington on Tuesday evening.

Lebson said Gilman had been transferred 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."

Trump also described a request from Gilman after his release, writing, "I just spoke to him, and he had one request — A GREAT cheeseburger when he lands," and said he would take care of it.

Reports said Gilman was reunited with his mother, Nancy, aboard the flight home, while CBS News said his mother was flying back with him and that he would arrive at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Tuesday night.

BBC

The case has been disputed by Gilman’s family, with the BBC reporting that Gilman was detained in Russia for more than four years on disputed charges and with his father disputing the charges against him.

The Guardian said Gilman’s father, Vladimir Gilman, wrote in an October 2024 Boston Globe op-ed that his son had fallen ill during the incident and had accidentally kicked the police officer.

During the period leading up to release, Global Reach said Gilman had been in a "dissociative stupor" and that he was hooked up to a feeding tube and handcuffed to a bed after being moved to a civilian hospital.

After Russia’s release, Eric Lebson said Gilman would be medically and psychologically assessed and treated at a U.S. military hospital in Texas, and other reporting said he was slated to be flown to a rehabilitation center in San Antonio, Texas.

“was not part of an exchange, and no other concessions were provided”

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The U.S. State Department spokesperson said Gilman was released on humanitarian grounds and "was not part of an exchange, and no other concessions were provided," while CBS News said the Trump administration had raised his case repeatedly with Russia.

The timeline of Gilman’s detention included an initial 3-and-a-half-year sentence after he was convicted of beating a police officer, followed by later convictions that extended his sentence to 10 years.

NBC News reported that Sen. Ed Markey said Gilman had been diagnosed with a "dissociative stupor" and was also battling a "severe case of pneumonia," and Markey said he was essentially catatonic.

As Gilman returns, the sources also frame the broader stakes around Americans held in Russia, with CBS News saying Gilman was one of at least eight Americans who remain in Russian custody after high-profile prisoner exchanges.