Russia has released a US military veteran who spent more than four years in prison on disputed charges under abusive conditions and was said to be at the risk of dying, according to an advocacy group.
Robert Gilman is on his way to a US military hospital in Texas where he will be medically and psychologically assessed and treated, said Eric Lebson, chief strategy officer of Global Reach, a group that has been working to free him and other American detainees abroad.
Mr Gilman’s family has flown to Texas to be with him, including his mother, who had been in Russia attempting to see him at a hospital.
Donald Trump posted on social media that Mr Gilman will arrive at Andrews Air Force Base outside Washington on Tuesday evening.
“I just spoke to him, and he had one request — A GREAT cheeseburger when he lands,” the president wrote. “I will take care of that!”
Mr Trump said he spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin before Mr Gilman’s release, which Mr Trump said was “very much on a Humanitarian Basis”.
“We appreciate this decision, and the fact that Russia asked for no one in return — No exchange took place,” the president added.
The 32-year-old teacher, who had been detained since 2022, was initially handed a three and a half-year sentence when he was convicted of beating a police officer after being taken off a train for causing a disturbance.
He later was convicted of attacking a prison inspector during a cell check, beating an investigator and assaulting a guard, and was sentenced in October 2024 to eight years and one month. His sentence was extended last year to 10 years after he was found guilty of assaulting prison guards.
His sister, Lexie Hudson, credited President Donald Trump and senator Ed Markey with bringing about the former marine’s release.
“There is no other reason that Robert is alive today other than that President Trump heard about the case and took action,” said Ms Hudson, who thanked Mr Markey “for leading our advocacy efforts in Congress”.
“The Russians treated my brother so badly,” she 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?”
The State Department said Mr Gilman, who had been determined recently to have been wrongfully detained, was released on humanitarian grounds and “was not part of an exchange, and no other concessions were provided”.
“This is a welcome step that we hope leads to the release of Americans unjustly held in Russia, such as wrongful detainee Stephen Hubbard,” it said.
Before Mr Gilman was flown out of Russia, he had been in “a dissociative stupor” for 47 days due to the abuse he has suffered in prison, Mr Lebson said.
Mr Gilman had been moved from a prison to a civilian hospital where he was hooked up to a feeding tube and handcuffed to a bed.
Hospital reports said his condition was “dire and life-threatening”, pushing Washington into action and leading to “a unilateral humanitarian release” by Russian officials, Mr Lebson said.
Mr Markey had called on Russia and the US to work together to get the Massachusetts resident released. Mr Gilman had been among at least eight Americans who remained in Russian custody after a series of high-profile prisoner exchanges with the US in recent years.
The senator blamed Russia for Mr Gilman’s poor health, saying his return to the US was long overdue.
“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,” Mr Markey said.
“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.”
