Trump secures release of former US Marine from Russian prison

Robert Gilman was on a flight home when the announcement came—a former Marine who had spent four years in Russian custody, his body and mind worn down by what his family describes as systematic abuse. President Trump confirmed the release on Truth Social, crediting direct conversations with Vladimir Putin and framing the decision as humanitarian rather than a prisoner exchange. Gilman, from Massachusetts, was heading to a military hospital in Texas, accompanied by his mother, medical staff, and administration officials. He would arrive early Wednesday morning.

The path to his release had been long and punishing. In January 2022, Gilman was arrested aboard a train bound for Moscow after allegedly kicking a police officer while intoxicated. He received an initial sentence of three and a half years. But the situation escalated when he was found guilty of assaulting prison guards during a cell inspection, and his sentence was increased to a decade. What followed, according to advocates and his family, was a descent into conditions that left him barely recognizable.

The abuse took forms both visible and invisible. Gilman endured forced exercise sessions that stretched up to sixteen hours, according to Eric Lebson of Global Reach, the advocacy organization representing him. He was administered psychotropic drugs without apparent medical justification. At one point, the damage was severe enough that he required a feeding tube inserted through his nose. By late summer, he had withdrawn into what doctors described as a dissociative stupor—a state of profound non-responsiveness where he could not eat or interact with those around him. His family said he was in life-threatening condition.

It was his sister, Lexi Hudson, who spoke most directly about what the confinement had cost. "The Russians treated my brother so badly," she said. "They hurt him for no reason, other than that he was both an American and a Marine." She credited Trump with saving his life, and also acknowledged the work of Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey in pushing for his release. Markey's office noted that Gilman had been diagnosed with his dissociative condition roughly fifty days before the announcement.

Trump's statement carried the tone of a personal victory. He said he had spoken to Gilman by phone and that the former Marine's only request was straightforward: a great cheeseburger when he landed. Trump promised to deliver it. The President also used the moment to underscore his administration's record on bringing detained Americans home, claiming an unprecedented level of success on the issue.

Kieran Ramsey, the chief investigative officer for Global Reach, offered a more measured reading of why Russia agreed to release Gilman. The Russian government, he told Reuters, had concluded that letting him go would not cost them geopolitically. It was, in his view, a purely humanitarian calculation—a decision to release someone whose continued detention served no strategic purpose.

But Gilman's release, while significant, does not close the chapter on Americans held in Russian custody. Five others remain detained: Aleksandr Antonov, David Barnes, Olga Jezler, Andre Khachatoorian, and Chuck Zimmerman. Each is dealing with medical complications. Secretary of State Marco Rubio acknowledged the progress but made clear the work was not finished. "While we appreciate this positive step, we are still seeking the immediate return of all other unjustly detained Americans," he wrote on X, adding that the President would not stop until all were home.