WASHINGTON — Robert Gilman, a 32-year-old former U.S. Marine, was released from a Russian prison after more than four years of detention and is en route to the United States. President Donald Trump announced the release Tuesday on Truth Social.
Trump said Gilman's freedom came on a "humanitarian basis" following discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and that no prisoner exchange took place.
Trump said he had spoken directly with Gilman, who had one request: "A GREAT cheeseburger when he lands" — which Trump said he would arrange. Gilman is expected to land at Andrews Air Force Base outside Washington.
Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass. said Gilman was diagnosed with a "dissociative stupor" roughly 50 days ago, leaving him non-responsive and unable to eat. He also suffered a severe case of pneumonia. Markey, who campaigned for Gilman's release, described him as "essentially catatonic" and said his current condition and long-term prognosis remain unknown.
Gilman's sister, Lexie Hudson, issued a statement through the advocacy group Global Reach thanking Trump. "There is no other reason that Robert is alive today other than that President Trump heard about the case and took action," she said.
Hudson said she had not been able to speak with her brother since his initial detention and committed to ensuring he receives treatment upon his return. Two days earlier, on Sunday, she had said she feared her brother would die if not released.
Russian government officials have not commented publicly on Gilman's release. Last month, Russia's Kommersant newspaper reported that Gilman had been admitted to a hospital; his lawyer, Irina Brazhnikova, confirmed he was receiving treatment.
Gilman served in the U.S. Marine Corps from August 2019 to August 2020. He was detained in Russia in Jan. 2022 and received a three-and-a-half-year sentence for beating a police officer after causing a disturbance on a train.
His legal troubles escalated during imprisonment. In Oct. 2024, he was accused of attacking a prison inspector, beating an investigator and assaulting a guard during a cell check, leading to an additional sentence of eight years and one month. His sentence was later extended again to 10 years after he was convicted of assaulting prison guards.
American supporters have consistently argued Gilman was already ill when first arrested and was provoked into actions that led to further charges and longer sentences.
Markey called it 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 urged the Trump administration to use Gilman's case as motivation to continue advocating for other Americans wrongfully detained abroad.
U.S. officials confirmed Gilman was aboard a State Department plane traveling from Russia to Washington Dulles Airport on Tuesday morning.
"The Russians treated my brother so badly," Hudson said. "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?"
