Russia frees ailing former U.S. Marine Robert Gilman from prison in Voronezh, where he has been held since 2022, after President Vladimir Putin approves a humanitarian pardon, U.S. officials say. Gilman is transported on a U.S. State Department plane to Washington Dulles Airport.
Across outlets, U.S. officials and reporting based on those officials say the White House and State Department urged Russia to release Gilman for medical treatment. The articles describe his health as rapidly deteriorating in custody, with some accounts referencing a move to psychiatric or emergency hospital care and an inability to respond normally. At least one report notes he is assessed by doctors during the flight and that he is able to walk and talk when he leaves Russia.
Most sources agree his case stems from an arrest in January 2022 after an incident involving an alleged assault on a police officer, which Russian state media attributes to intoxication. Gilman’s family disputes the circumstances, and some reporting says he serves part of a sentence that is later reduced. Outlets also differ in emphasis: some characterize the pardon as a “goodwill gesture,” while others focus on the humanitarian basis and the lack of prisoner exchange.
