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2w ago

Former U.S. Marine Held in Russia Falls into Dissociative Stupor, Advocates Say

U.S. officials have urged Moscow to release him for emergency care because his condition risks death and could further strain bilateral relations.

Former US Marine Robert Gilman, who serves a prison sentence for assaulting a Russian police officer in 2022, attends a court hearing in Voronezh, Russia, on April 6.
Robert Gilman, a 28-year-old former US Marine already serving a prison sentence for attacking a police officer while drunk, is seen inside a defendant's cage during a hearing at Central District Court in Voronezh, Russia on September 9, 2024.
Former US Marine Robert Gilman, who serves a prison sentence for assaulting a Russian police officer in 2022, attends a court hearing in Voronezh, Russia, on April 6.
Former U.S. Marine Robert Gilman, who serves a prison sentence for assaulting a Russian police officer in 2022, attends a court hearing in Voronezh, Russia April 6, 2026. REUTERS/Vladimir Lavrov/File Photo

Overview

  • Advocates and family say Robert Gilman, detained in Russia since 2022, slipped into a dissociative stupor in June and is now unresponsive, being fed through a tube and hospitalized in a civilian psychiatric ward in Voronezh.
  • U.S. diplomats and the White House have raised concern and repeatedly asked Russia to release Gilman for urgent medical treatment in the United States, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio raised the case with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Manila on July 23.
  • Family and advocacy groups allege he suffered mistreatment in custody, including forced drugging, extreme forced exercise and prolonged isolation, and they say his mother, lawyer and at times U.S. consular staff have been denied hospital access despite a Russian court order.
  • Russian state media and TASS emphasize Gilman's criminal convictions and sentence extensions that officials say run to roughly 10 years, and some Russian voices say any release could require reciprocal prisoner exchanges.
  • If Gilman dies or remains incapacitated in Russian custody, lawmakers and the family warn it would heighten diplomatic tensions and could prompt renewed calls in Washington for a prioritized U.S. response or negotiated swap.