Robert Gilman, a former Marine veteran, has returned to the U.S. looking notably frail—his family and U.S. officials have said he seemed “near death” after suffering for years in harsh Russian prisons.
The 32-year-old was welcomed back with a milkshake and a hamburger at Dulles Airport near Washington, D.C., shortly after President Trump announced that a pardon was secured from Russian President Vladimir Putin without a significant prisoner swap.
On the plane home, Gilman appeared pale and worn as he posed with an American flag.
Following a brief stay at Dulles, he was flown to San Antonio for medical and psychological treatment at Brooke Army Medical Center, according to local reports.
A U.S. official who spoke with Gilman shared some insights. The anonymous source noted that he was able to walk and talk and had been examined by four doctors during the flight.
“Considering everything, he seems to be in good health,” the source added.
Gilman, who worked as a teacher in Massachusetts and was a retired Marine, had faced significant health decline and had been confined to a psychiatric facility for weeks in what officials described as a “dissociative stupor” prior to his release.
Initially convicted for kicking a police officer while intoxicated—an act his family claims was unintentional due to illness—Gilman received a sentence of four and a half years. His situation worsened after Russian authorities then accused him of attacking prison staff, leading to an extended sentence of ten years by December.
His sister, Lexi Hudson, criticized the treatment her brother endured in prison. “They treated my brother very badly,” she stated. “They harmed him for no reason, aside from the fact that he’s an American and a Marine.”
Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey, who played a role in securing Gilman’s release, mentioned that the veteran’s health significantly declined just before his release, indicating he was “nearly on the verge of death.”
According to Gilman’s Russian lawyer, he had been placed in a psychiatric ward at a private hospital since early July due to deteriorating mental health. She mentioned that both the lawyer and the family were prevented from visiting him during this time.
Eric Revson, a chief strategy officer at Global Reach, the organization involved in Gilman’s release, stated that the abuse he suffered left him in a “dissociative stupor” for 47 days.
Senator Markey also accused Russian authorities of subjecting Gilman to physical torture, forced medication, and provocations throughout his incarceration.
President Trump indicated that Gilman’s return to the U.S. was facilitated on “humanitarian grounds” without a major prisoner exchange.
