A former U.S. Marine imprisoned in Russia since 2022 was freed on Tuesday after Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a humanitarian pardon for the ailing American, according to U.S. officials.
The White House and the State Department had continuously urged Moscow to release 32-year-old Robert Gilman so he could undergo medical treatment in the United States.
Gilman was incarcerated in a prison in Voronezh, roughly 340 miles (550 kilometers) south of Moscow. The exact details surrounding his health remain unclear.
However, Eric Lebson, chief strategy officer at Global Reach, an advocacy organization representing Gilman’s family, told Reuters last week that Gilman was transferred in late June from a prison hospital to an emergency civilian hospital’s psychiatric ward in a catatonic state described as a “dissociative stupor.”
U.S. officials confirmed that Gilman was aboard a State Department plane flying from Russia to Washington Dulles Airport on Tuesday.
An American official who spoke directly with Gilman said he was walking and talking.
“All things considered, he seems to be in good shape,” the official stated.
Gilman will undergo medical evaluation during the flight by four doctors, according to U.S. officials speaking anonymously.
His mother, Nina, was also on board.
Upon arriving at Dulles, Gilman will be met by U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and deputy national security adviser Sebastian Gorka, who both worked alongside Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner, U.S. special envoy for hostage response Adam Boehler, and other representatives.
Following his arrival, Gilman is expected to be flown to a rehabilitation center in San Antonio, Texas, to receive further treatment.
Gilman, who served in the U.S. Marines from August 2019 until August 2020, was traveling aboard a train when he was taken into custody in January 2022 in Voronezh, Lebson said.
Russian state media reported that he was detained for allegedly kicking a police officer while intoxicated.
However, his father, Vladimir Gilman, who moved to Massachusetts from Russia, wrote in an October 2024 Boston Globe op-ed that the allegations were false.
He explained that his son had fallen ill during the incident and kicked the officer accidentally, adding that the uninjured officer dropped the charges and did not offer testimony during Gilman’s trial.
Robert Gilman received a 4-1/2-year prison sentence. He was counted among at least 10 Americans known to be jailed in Russia.
U.S. officials said senior Russian official Yuri Ushakov informed Trump aides last week that Putin agreed to sign a decree pardoning Gilman for humanitarian reasons, citing Putin’s friendship with the president.
His release followed intense negotiations over the weekend between U.S. and Russian officials. American representatives stated that no Russian prisoners were traded to secure Gilman’s release.
“It’s a goodwill gesture,” one official said.