Former US Marine Robert Gilman released from detention in Russia

By Jennifer Hansler, CNN

(CNN) — American Robert Gilman was released from Russian detention Tuesday, according to three US officials, a Russian official, and an organization advocating on behalf of his family.

His release came amid severe concerns about his health, with an advocate warning just days ago that he was “near death.” Gilman, a former Marine, had been detained since 2022.

A US State Department spokesperson said Gilman was released on humanitarian grounds, noting that his release “was not part of an exchange, and no other concessions were provided.”

Kirill Dmitriev, a Kremlin special envoy and head of the Russian sovereign wealth fund, also said Gilman had been freed from detention “for humanitarian reasons.”

A US official told CNN that Gilman is receiving medical care and is being transported back to the United States on a specialized medical plane. His mother, who had traveled to Russia to try to see her son, is with him, according to the official and Global Reach, the organization advocating on behalf of his family.

Eric Lebson, the chief strategy officer of Global Reach, told CNN last week that Gilman had fallen into a “dissociative stupor” more than six weeks ago. Gilman had been subjected to physical and pyschological torture, Lebson said, and there were concerns that he could die in Russian custody. A State Department spokesperson last week echoed that they were “deeply concerned” about his “health and continued detention in Russia.”

Lebson said Tuesday that “it is too early to know Robert’s long-term medical prognosis.”

According to Dmitriev, Gilman is on his way from Russia to the Washington, DC, area. He will then head to a US military hospital in Texas, Global Reach said, “where he will be medically and psychologically assessed and treated.” Many Americans who have been designated as “wrongful detainees” have been treated at a military facility there after release. A State Department spokesperson said Tuesday that Gilman had been designated as wrongfully detained.

Gilman’s sister, Lexie Hudson, expressed thanks to US President Donald Trump for “saving (her) brother’s life.”

“There is no other reason that Robert is alive today other than that President Trump heard about the case and took action,” she said in a statement that also thanked Democratic Sen. Ed Markey.

“I am looking forward to seeing Robert. I haven’t been able to speak with him once since this all began,” Hudson said. “We will make sure that he gets the treatment and support that he needs.”

Gilman was arrested in January 2022. Russian officials alleged that he was drunk and got into an altercation with a police officer. Lebson denied that account, saying Gilman was hit by the police, got sick, and accidentally kicked the officer.

Gilman was sentenced to four and a half years in prison. He is one of multiple former US Marines who have been arrested in Russia, including Trevor Reed and Paul Whelan.

Numerous Americans remain detained in Russia, including Andre Khachatoorian, Olga Jezler, Chuck Zimmerman, David Barnes, Aleksander Antonov and Stephen Hubbard.

The State Department spokesperson said Tuesday that they hope Gilman’s release “leads to the release of Americans unjustly held in Russia, such as wrongful detainee Stephen Hubbard.”

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

CNN’s Frederik Pleitgen contributed to this report.