Russia frees Robert Gilman on humanitarian grounds amid health fears

Washington,UPDATED: Aug 11, 2026 23:14 IST

Russia has released American military veteran Robert Gilman, who had spent more than four years in prison on disputed charges, after reports that he was gravely ill and at risk of dying, according to a group working for his release. Eric Lebson, chief strategy officer of Global Reach, said Gilman was on his way to a US military hospital in Texas for medical and psychological assessment and treatment, and that his family had flown there to be with him.

US President Donald Trump said Gilman would arrive at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland on Tuesday evening and said he had spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin before the release, which he described as being "very much on a humanitarian basis". Trump added, "We appreciate this decision, and the fact that Russia asked for no one in return - No exchange took place." He also posted: "I just spoke to him, and he had one request - A GREAT cheeseburger when he lands. I will take care of that!"

Gilman, 32, has been detained since 2022. He was initially given a three-and-a-half-year sentence after being convicted of beating a police officer after being removed from a train for causing a disturbance. He was later convicted of attacking a prison inspector during a cell check, beating an investigator and assaulting a guard, and in October 2024 he was sentenced to eight years and one month. His sentence was extended again last year to 10 years after he was found guilty of assaulting prison guards.

Gilman's father has disputed the charges against him. During Gilman's December 2025 trial in the southwestern city of Voronezh, where his term was extended to 10 years after he was found guilty of beating two prison guards, Russian media reported that he pleaded guilty and apologised to the guards. The business daily Kommersant said he explained his actions by saying he wanted to stay in the prison where he was serving his sentence and avoid being moved to another penitentiary.

Gilman's sister, Lexie Hudson, credited Trump and US Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts for helping secure the former Marine's release. "There is no other reason that Robert is alive today other than that President Trump heard about the case and took action," she said, while also thanking Markey "for leading our advocacy efforts in Congress". She added, "The Russians treated my brother so badly. They hurt him for no reason, other than that he was both an American and a Marine. What did they get out of this? Why did they do this to such a wonderful person?"

Gilman's lawyer, Irina Brazhnikova, told Interfax on Friday that he had been in the psychiatric ward of a civilian hospital since early July. She said he was there "due to a psychiatric condition" and that doctors said his condition had worsened, but neither his lawyers nor his family were allowed to visit him. Lebson said that before Gilman was flown out of Russia, he had been in "a dissociative stupor" for 47 days because of the abuse he suffered in prison, and that after being moved to hospital he was put on a feeding tube and handcuffed to a bed. Lebson said hospital reports described Gilman's condition as "dire and life-threatening", which pushed the US government into action and led to his release.

The US State Department said Gilman, who had recently been determined to have been wrongfully detained, was released on humanitarian grounds and "was not part of an exchange, and no other concessions were provided". It added, "This is a welcome step that we hope leads to the release of Americans unjustly held in Russia, such as wrongful detainee Stephen Hubbard." Markey had also called on Russia and the US to work together to secure the Massachusetts resident's release.

Markey said Gilman's return to the US was long overdue and blamed Russia for his condition. "It is a tragedy that it took Robert's near-death condition for his case to receive the attention that it required for his release to be negotiated," he said. "Throughout his detention, Robert was subjected to physical torture, forced medication, and provocations by Russian authorities. There is no doubt that his treatment by Russian authorities is the reason Robert is in this precarious state today." Russia's Federal Penitentiary Service did not respond to a request for comment on claims that Gilman's health had worsened in prison, and there was no immediate comment from Russian officials on his release.

Arrests of Americans in Russia have become more common in recent years, raising concern that some may be held as bargaining chips in efforts to bring back Russians convicted in the US and Europe. Gilman was among at least eight Americans still in Russian custody after a series of high-profile prisoner exchanges, and his release without a swap has now ended a detention that drew fresh attention after his health sharply deteriorated.

With PTI Inputs

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