Russian authorities have freed Robert Gilman, a 32-year-old former U.S. Marine who had been jailed in Russia since January 2022, after President Vladimir Putin signed a pardon on humanitarian grounds, U.S. officials said.
U.S. representatives said Gilman was being transported on a State Department plane from Russia to Washington Dulles Airport on Tuesday. Officials on the flight reported that Gilman was walking and speaking; one U.S. official summarized his condition as "All things considered he seems to be in good shape." Four doctors were to evaluate him during the flight, and his mother, Nina, was also on board.
Medical condition and recent treatment
The precise nature of Gilman’s health problems remains unclear. Advocacy group Global Reach, which represents Gilman’s family, said Eric Lebson, the group’s chief strategy officer, reported last week that Gilman had been transferred in late June from the prison hospital in Voronezh to the psychiatric ward of a civilian emergency hospital. Lebson described his state at that time as a "dissociative stupor" resembling a catatonic-like condition.
U.S. officials said medical care will continue after arrival in the United States. Upon landing at Dulles, Gilman is to be met by U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and deputy national security adviser Sebastian Gorka. Officials said the two had been among those who pursued his release, along with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Jared Kushner and other U.S. officials. From Dulles, Gilman is to be flown to a rehabilitation center in San Antonio, Texas, for further treatment.
Background to the arrest and legal proceedings
Gilman served in the U.S. Marines from August 2019 until August 2020. He was arrested in Voronezh in January 2022 while traveling by train, according to information provided by his family and advocacy representatives. Russian state media reported that he had been detained on allegations of kicking a police officer while intoxicated.
Gilman’s father, Vladimir Gilman, who emigrated to Massachusetts from Russia, wrote in an October 2024 op-ed that the charges were false. He said his son had fallen ill at the time of the incident and accidentally kicked the officer, that the officer was uninjured, and that the officer later dropped charges and did not present evidence at Gilman’s trial. Gilman was sentenced to four and a half years in jail. He was one of at least 10 Americans known to be imprisoned in Russia, according to U.S. officials.
Diplomatic negotiations and the pardon
U.S. officials said a senior Russian official, Yuri Ushakov, informed Trump aides last week that President Putin had agreed to sign a decree pardoning Gilman for humanitarian purposes, a decision described as influenced by Putin’s friendship with the president. The release followed intensive negotiations between U.S. and Russian officials over the preceding weekend, U.S. sources said.
U.S. officials emphasized that no Russian prisoners were exchanged in connection with Gilman’s release. One official described the pardon as "a goodwill gesture."
Next steps
Medical evaluation will continue during the flight and after arrival in the United States. The immediate plan, as stated by U.S. officials, calls for Gilman to be transported from Dulles to a rehabilitation facility in San Antonio for ongoing medical treatment and care.