Russia Frees Ex-Marine Robert Gilman as Trump Associate Thanks Putin

Former U.S. Marine Robert Gilman has returned home to the United States after more than four years in a Russian prison, following his release through a pardon granted by President Vladimir Putin.

Return of the Former Marine

“Tonight I had the profound privilege of welcoming Robert Gilman home to the United States after more than four years in a Russian prison. Robert is a patriot—a former United States Marine who served our country with honor. Now he can finally return to his family and get the medical care he needs,” Witkoff wrote on X.

“We thank President Putin for pardoning Robert on humanitarian grounds and for his personal commitment to this entire process,” Donald Trump’s associate added.

Trump Announces Release

The information regarding the American’s release was announced on Tuesday by the President of the United States on Truth Social.

“I am proud to announce that American citizen Robert Gilman, a former U.S. Marine, is coming HOME!” Trump wrote.

“Following my discussions with President Vladimir Putin, Russia agreed to release him, largely on humanitarian grounds. We appreciate this decision and the fact that Russia did not ask for anyone in return—there was no prisoner swap,” the U.S. president stated.

Diplomatic Context and U.S. Reaction

It remains unclear when Trump last spoke with Putin. Yuri Ushakov, Putin’s international affairs adviser, informed Trump’s advisers last week that the Russian leader agreed to sign a decree pardoning Gilman for humanitarian reasons, taking into account Putin’s friendship with the president.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote on X on Tuesday that Gilman “joins more than 100 Americans whom President Trump has freed during his second term.”

“While we appreciate this positive step, we continue to demand the immediate return of all remaining wrongfully detained Americans, including Stephen Hubbard, who is also unjustly held. The President will not stop until all wrongfully detained Americans are back home,” Rubio announced.

Background of the Conviction

Gilman was convicted of assaulting a Russian police officer.

Gilman was held in a prison in Voronezh, about 550 km south of Moscow. Eric Lebson, chief strategy officer at Global Reach, the organization representing Gilman’s family, told Reuters last week that Gilman was transferred in late June from the prison hospital to the psychiatric ward of a civilian emergency hospital in a catatonic-like state known as “dissociative stupor.”

Gilman, who served in the U.S. Marine Corps from August 2019 to August 2020, was arrested in Voronezh for allegedly kicking a police officer while intoxicated, Russian state media reported. He was sentenced to 4.5 years in prison.