Former US Marine Robert Gilman released from Russian prison after 1,666 days

Aug 11, 2026

Former U.S. Marine Robert Gilman has been released from Russian custody on humanitarian grounds after 1,666 days of imprisonment. Arrested in January 2022 and sentenced to 10 years on disputed assault charges, Gilman's health deteriorated severely due to alleged torture, leaving him in a life-threatening catatonic state. Following direct discussions between President Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, Russia granted a humanitarian pardon without requiring a prisoner exchange. Gilman is returning to the U.S. for treatment at a military hospital in Texas.

Gilman release from Russian prison

▪Robert Gilman was scheduled to arrive at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on August 11, 2026, accompanied by his mother Nancy.
▪Former U.S. Marine Robert Gilman was released from Russian custody on August 11, 2026, after spending 1,666 days in prison.
▪Following his arrival in the United States, Robert Gilman is scheduled to be transported to a U.S. military hospital in Texas for medical and psychological assessment.

Assault charges on train

▪Robert Gilman was arrested on January 17, 2022, in Voronezh, Russia, for allegedly assaulting a police officer while drunk aboard a train.
▪Robert Gilman's father, Vladimir Gilman, disputed the assault charges, stating his son had fallen ill on the train and accidentally kicked the police officer.
▪Robert Gilman's initial three-and-a-half-year prison sentence was extended to 10 years following subsequent convictions for assaulting Russian prison officials.

Catatonic state from torture

▪Robert Gilman was diagnosed with a dissociative stupor and spent 47 days in a catatonic-like, non-responsive state prior to his release.
▪U.S. Senator Ed Markey stated that Robert Gilman was subjected to physical torture, forced 16-hour exercise sessions, and forced administration of psychotropic drugs by Russian authorities.
▪Robert Gilman was transferred from a prison hospital to a civilian hospital in Voronezh on June 30, where he was kept handcuffed to a bed and fed through a nasal tube.

Trump-Putin humanitarian pardon

▪A U.S. official and Kremlin special envoy Kirill Dmitriev confirmed that Russian President Vladimir Putin approved a pardon for Robert Gilman on humanitarian grounds.
▪U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio thanked Russia for working with U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff to secure Robert Gilman's return.
▪President Donald Trump announced that Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to release Robert Gilman on a humanitarian basis following direct discussions between the two leaders.

Family medical advocacy

▪The advocacy group Global Reach and Robert Gilman's family publicly sounded alarms that Gilman's condition in custody had become life-threatening, prompting U.S. government intervention.
▪Robert Gilman's sister, Lexie Hudson, credited President Donald Trump and Senator Ed Markey for taking action to save her brother's life.

No prisoner exchange required

▪The U.S. State Department and Secretary of State Marco Rubio noted that they continue to seek the release of other Americans held in Russia, including Stephen Hubbard.
▪According to Global Reach, five other wrongfully detained Americans with deteriorating medical issues remain in Russian prisons, including Chuck Zimmerman, Aleksandr Antonov, Olga Jezler, Andre Khachatoorian, and David Barnes.
▪President Donald Trump and the U.S. State Department confirmed that no prisoner exchange or other concessions took place to secure Robert Gilman's release.