Russia has released former US Marine Robert Gilman, who was flown to Washington, DC, on Tuesday after more than four years in custody, according to Kirill Dmitriev, a special envoy for President Vladimir Putin. Gilman is being transferred to a US military hospital in Texas for medical and psychological assessment.
The 32-year-old was arrested in January 2022 for kicking a police officer while intoxicated on a train to Moscow. His sentence was repeatedly extended, ultimately reaching 10 years after convictions for assaulting prison staff. Before his release, Gilman had been in a dissociative stupor for 47 days following alleged prison abuse. Senator Ed Markey said Gilman had been battling severe pneumonia and was essentially catatonic before his release.
Gilman was one of at least eight Americans who remained in Russian custody following earlier prisoner exchanges. Secretary of State Marco Rubio raised his case with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during a July 23 meeting in Manila.