Russia has released former U.S. Marine Robert Gilman
Russia, the aggressor state, has released 32-year-old former U.S. Marine Robert Gilman, who was serving a sentence in a Russian prison. U.S. President Donald Trump announced this. According to him, the decision to release him was made following his conversations with Russian President Vladimir Putin on humanitarian grounds. There was no prisoner exchange, Trump wrote on Truth Social.
The U.S. president stated that Gilman was already on his way to the United States, accompanied by his mother, doctors, and administration officials. The former servicemember’s family reported that upon arrival, he is to be transported to a U.S. military hospital in Texas for examination and treatment.
According to the family, Gilman’s condition was life-threatening following the brutal treatment he endured while in captivity. Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey, who, according to Gilman’s sister, also helped secure his release, said that the man was diagnosed with dissociative stupor approximately 50 days ago. According to the senator, in this state, a person does not respond, cannot interact with others, and is unable to eat.
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Gilman was arrested in January 2022 after he, while intoxicated on a train to Moscow, kicked a police officer. He was initially sentenced to three and a half years in prison. Later, Gilman was found guilty of assaulting prison guards after, according to investigators, he attacked an inspector during a cell inspection. His sentence was increased to 10 years.
Before his release, Gilman was transferred from prison to a civilian hospital in Russia after he fell into a catatonic-like state. Human rights activist Eric Lebson of the group Global Reach told CBS News that Gilman was subjected to abuse, including forced physical training sessions lasting up to 16 hours and the administration of psychotropic drugs. According to him, due to his health condition, Gilman required a nasogastric feeding tube for some time. BBC News also reports that he served in the U.S. Marine Corps from August 2019 to August 2020.
