American Veteran Robert Gilman Released from Russian Custody
Russia has released Robert Gilman, an American military veteran and teacher who had been imprisoned since 2022, according to Global Reach, an advocacy group involved in efforts to secure his freedom. Gilman, 32, is traveling to a U.S. military hospital in Texas, where he is expected to receive medical and psychological evaluations and treatment.
Eric Lebson, chief strategy officer for Global Reach, said Gilman had been gravely ill and at risk of dying after experiencing abusive prison conditions. Before leaving Russia, Gilman had reportedly spent 47 days in what Lebson described as a “dissociative stupor.” He had been transferred from prison to a civilian hospital, where he was fed through a tube and handcuffed to a bed.
Gilman was initially arrested after being removed from a train for causing a disturbance. In 2022, a Russian court convicted him of assaulting a police officer and sentenced him to three and a half years in prison. He later received additional convictions for attacking a prison inspector, an investigator and a guard. In October 2024, he was sentenced to eight years and one month. His total sentence was extended to 10 years in 2025 following another conviction involving prison guards.
U.S. Senator Edward Markey of Massachusetts, Gilman’s home state, had urged officials in both countries to cooperate on his release. Gilman’s relatives, including his mother, have traveled to Texas to meet him. His mother had been in Russia seeking access to him while he was hospitalized.
Gilman’s release follows several high-profile prisoner exchanges between Washington and Moscow in recent years. Before his release, he was among at least eight Americans reported to be in Russian custody. Details about the negotiations that led to his departure were not immediately provided. His condition and longer-term recovery will be assessed by medical specialists in Texas there.