After four years in a Russian prison, former U.S. Marine Robert Gilman is finally on his way home. President Trump announced the release, noting it was granted "very much on a humanitarian basis" and without a U.S. exchange. Because apparently that’s where we are now.
Gilman, 32, is expected to touch down at Andrews Air Force Base near Washington, D.C., and then head straight to a rehabilitation center in San Antonio, Texas, for medical care. His mother, Nina, is on the plane with him, which is probably the most normal part of this entire ordeal.
The Saga of Robert Gilman
Gilman’s detention started in 2022 after an alleged run-in with a police officer. The U.S. government had, in recent times, officially labeled him as "wrongfully detained" — a designation that sounds less like a legal term and more like an exasperated sigh.
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Start Your News DetoxWhile his exact health status is a bit murky, a U.S. official who spoke with Gilman described him as "in good shape," able to walk and talk. Which, given the circumstances, is both impressive and slightly terrifying. However, Senator Ed Markey, who worked closely with the family, painted a much grimmer picture, describing Gilman as having been in a "near-death" condition, suffering severe pneumonia, becoming catatonic, and allegedly subjected to "physical torture, forced medication, and provocations by Russian authorities." Let that sink in.
Gilman served in the U.S. Marines from August 2019 to August 2020. His arrest in January 2022, while traveling by train in Voronezh, was initially reported by Russian state media as a drunken incident involving a kicked police officer. His father, Vladimir Gilman, however, penned an op-ed in October 2024 claiming the charges were false, stating his son was ill and accidentally kicked the officer, who then dropped the charges and provided no evidence at trial. Despite this, Robert Gilman was sentenced to four and a half years, a term that was then extended multiple times for alleged assaults while in prison. Because, of course, it was.
His release means one less American is held in Russia, though at least nine others remain. A team from the Trump administration, including envoy Adam Boehler and advisors Steve Witkoff, Sebastian Gorka, and Jared Kushner, worked to secure his return. One imagines those conversations were... interesting. Now, if you'll excuse us, we need a nap.
