Russia has released former US Marine Robert Gilman from prison after President Vladimir Putin granted him a humanitarian pardon. The 32-year-old American English teacher, who had been detained since early 2022, is currently returning to the United States on a State Department plane.
US President Donald Trump announced the release on Truth Social, stating that the decision followed his direct discussions with Putin. Trump emphasized that no prisoner swap was involved in the agreement, writing, "No exchange took place." Upon his arrival at Washington Dulles International Airport, Gilman is set to be met by US envoy Steve Witkoff and Sebastian Gorka, a deputy assistant to Trump. An official who spoke with Gilman during his journey noted that he was walking and talking, adding that "all things considered, he seems to be in good shape."
Gilman was arrested in January 2022 in the southern Russian city of Voronezh while traveling by train. Russian state media reported he was accused of kicking a police officer while intoxicated, leading to a sentence of four and a half years in prison. However, his family has consistently rejected these allegations. In an October 2024 Boston Globe op-ed, his father, Vladimir Gilman—who emigrated from Russia to Massachusetts—explained that his son had fallen ill during the train journey and accidentally kicked the officer.
Concerns for Gilman's health had escalated significantly prior to his release. Eric Lebson, the chief strategy officer at Global Reach, an advocacy group representing the Gilman family, revealed that Gilman had been moved in late June from a prison hospital to a civilian emergency hospital's psychiatric ward. Doctors there described him as being in a catatonic-like state, diagnosed as a "dissociative stupor." The White House and the State Department had repeatedly pressured Moscow to release him so he could receive proper medical care in the US.
The unilateral release of a jailed American citizen without a corresponding exchange is highly unusual for Moscow. This move could indicate Russia's desire to rebuild relations with the Trump administration, particularly following recent shifts in Trump's foreign policy positions regarding Ukraine. Shortly after Trump took office, the US secured the release of American schoolteacher Marc Fogel in exchange for a Russian national imprisoned in the US on money-laundering charges. Gilman was one of at least ten Americans known to be held in Russian custody.
