President Donald Trump announced Gilman’s release. He said the 32-year-old is expected to land in Washington, DC, the evening of Tuesday, Aug. 11.Show Caption
A Marine held in a Russian prison since 2022 has been released and is headed back to the United States, President Donald Trump announced Tuesday, Aug. 11.Robert Gilman, a U.S. citizen from Lowell, Massachusetts, was sentenced in Russia to 4.5 years in prison in October 2022 on charges of assaulting a police officer while drunk. Gilman, 32, previously said he did not remember the assault and apologized to the officer and Russia. Gilman’s imprisonment, like that of other Americans in Russia, was broadly seen as a political move by Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to advocacy groups and US officials."I am proud to announce that American Citizen Robert Gilman, a former United States Marine, is coming HOME!" Trump announced on Truth Social around noon ET on Aug. 11. "I just spoke to him, and he had one request — A GREAT cheeseburger when he lands. I will take care of that!"Gilman is expected to land at Joint Base Andrews in Washington, DC, in the evening. Trump credited Russian President Vladimir Putin with granting Gilman’s release. The president said Gilman’s mother is with him on his flight back to America.The president also posted a photo apparently showing Gilman on the flight back to the United States. He appears pale and thin, and is surrounded by several people holding up an American flag.Release comes after severe medical diagnosisGilman’s release comes at a point where his health had seriously deteriorated, U.S. Sen. Ed Markey said in a statement Aug. 11. The Massachusetts Democrat said he has been working to secure Gilman’s release for years. According to Markey, Gilman was diagnosed 50 days ago with "dissociative stupor– a condition where he is non-responsive and unable to interact or eat." The condition has left Gilman "essentially catatonic," Markey said. "We don’t yet know the full details of his current condition or the long-term impact on his recovery. I’m grateful that Robert is now on his way back to the United States to receive the life-saving care that he desperately needs," the Massachusetts senator continued. "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." Markey laid the blame for Gilman’s condition on his jailers: "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."Other Americans remain imprisonedWhite House officials celebrated Gilman’s release and that of other Americans who have come home during the second Trump administration. But they said they are working to secure the release of others "unjustly detained.""While we appreciate this positive step, we are still seeking the immediate return of all other unjustly detained Americans, including wrongful detainee Stephen Hubbard," Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement. "The President will not stop until all unjustly detained Americans are home."Hubbard is an American sentenced to a Russian penal colony on charges that he served in Ukrainian defense forces amid Russia’s invasion of the country. The retired school teacher has said he is innocent of the charges and was not serving in Ukrainian military forces.Americans imprisoned abroad come homeGilman is the latest American imprisoned abroad to be returned to the United States. The president said in announcing Gilman’s release that he was making it a priority to bring home such Americans."During my Administration, we have prioritized bringing home Americans Detained Abroad," Trump said. "We have also freed many non Americans who were under capture in different countries throughout the World."Others to be recently returned include Marc Fogel, a history teacher from Pennsylvania who taught at a school in Moscow. Fogel was imprisoned in 2021, sentenced to 14 years on charges of possessing marijuana. He was released in February 2025. Why was Gilman released?Gilman’s release comes ahead of the end of the 4.5 year prison term he was originally sentenced to serve. Trump and White House officials said he was released for "humanitarian" reasons."After my discussions with President Vladimir Putin, Russia has agreed to release him, very much on a Humanitarian Basis," Trump said in a post on social media. "We appreciate this decision, and the fact that Russia asked for no one in return — No exchange took place."A State Department spokesperson also said the Russian government released Gilman on humanitarian grounds and that the U.S. citizen was not part of a prisoner exchange.Contributing: Francesca Chambers, Reuters
