US Marine Robert Gilman Freed From Russian Prison Due to Poor Health

Robert Gilman, a former US Marine who was imprisoned by Russia for over four and a half years, was released and returned to the US after his health deteriorated to a life-threatening condition.

Key Quotes: Trump wrote on Truth Social, "We appreciate this decision, and the fact that Russia asked for no one in return – No exchange took place." The Kremlin said it freed Gilman for "humanitarian reasons." Gilman's sister, Lexie Hudson, said, "I am so grateful to President Trump for saving my 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."

The Detention: Gilman was arrested in Voronezh in January 2022, over a month before Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. He was convicted of assaulting a police officer who evicted him from a train for allegedly causing a disturbance while drunk and sentenced to three and a half years. His sentence was extended after he was convicted of assaulting several Russian prison officials. Eric Lebson of Global Reach, a nonprofit that aims to return wrongly detained Americans home, denied the account of his alleged crimes and said he was hit by police, fell ill, and accidentally kicked the officer.

Split Account: Fox News' (Right bias) coverage differed from outlets from the left and center in that it reported a backstory and more context on why Gilman was allegedly in Russia in the first place. Gilman family representative Kieran Ramsey told Fox on Friday that Gilman was "not even supposed to travel to Russia" when he was on his way to Moldova in November 2021 and fell "violently ill." According to Ramsey, he went to Moscow to stay with a relative while he recovered, and after he thought he recovered, he went to the US embassy to renew his passport and became "violently ill" again. "At that point," Ramsey added, "the Russian police approach him thinking he's drunk, claiming that he assaults them, and then they proceed to assault him and arrest him and charge him. And that nightmare has exponentially expanded since that point."

The Return: Concerns for Gilman's health arose when he was moved from a prison hospital to a civilian hospital on June 30. Hospital staff said his condition was "dire and life-threatening," according to Global Reach. Last week, a State Department spokesperson said they were "deeply concerned" about Gilman's health and "continued detention." Gilman arrived in Washington, DC, on Tuesday night, and according to Ramsey, he was "very frail" and unable to walk off the plane on his own.

Past Prisoner Releases: Both the Biden and Trump administrations have conducted prisoner swaps and releases with the Kremlin. Read AllSides' coverage of some of the most notable ones:

• Russia Releases US Marine Trevor Reed in Prisoner Exchange
• Brittney Griner Released in Prisoner Swap for Arms Dealer
• WSJ Journalist Evan Gershkovich, Former US Marine Paul Whelan to be Released from Russia in Prisoner Swap
• Marc Fogel, American Teacher Imprisoned in Russia, Back in US
• US Citizen Ksenia Ksarelina Freed in Prisoner Exchange With Russia
• Trump and Putin Agree to Prisoner Exchange, Russian Foreign Minister Says

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