Russia frees ex-Marine after four years of detention

Moscow released former U.S. Marine Robert Gilman on Tuesday for medical treatment in the United States after spending four years in a Russian prison. Secretary of State Marco Rubio released a statement Tuesday celebrating Gilman’s release, adding that the Trump administration still sought the immediate return of all other Americans Rubio said were unjustly detained.

Russian President Vladimir Putin approved the pardon based on humanitarian reasons, U.S. officials said. Both the White House and the State Department had been petitioning Moscow for Gilman’s release from the prison in Voronezh, about 340 miles south of Moscow.

What was Gilman imprisoned for? Russian officials initially jailed Gilman after he allegedly assaulted a police officer while drunk in 2022. Gilman, formerly a U.S. Marine and currently an English teacher, protested his innocence throughout his trial, insisting he was unconscious when the crime allegedly occurred. Gilman’s father, Vladimir, released a Boston Globe op-ed in October 2024, insisting that Russia’s charges were false and urging American officials not to abandon his son. Vladimir described his son falling ill and collapsing while traveling through Russia. Gilman woke up chained to a police officer with several pages missing from his passport, according to his father.

Vladimir also reported that the prison in Voronezh where the 32-year-old was held is notorious for torture and corruption. Gilman told his family that he was being fed multiple, conflicting drugs that were designed to limit his ability to control his behaviour and suffered deliberate food and sleep deprivation. He was also forced to exercise for 16 hours in a row during the day and was locked in a punishment cell for six months with zero outside contact, Vladimir said.

Russian human rights activist Vladimir Osechkin likened the Russian prisons to modern-day concentration camps during an interview with the Institute for War and Peace Reporting.