Overview
- U.S. officials said Robert Gilman was released from Russian custody and boarded a State Department plane to the United States on Tuesday for medical care.
- Advocates and family had reported that Gilman fell into a prolonged 'dissociative stupor,' was tube‑fed and at risk of dying, while U.S. officials said he was walking and talking when contacted and would be evaluated in flight.
- U.S. sources said President Vladimir Putin approved a humanitarian pardon after intensive negotiations that involved direct contacts between U.S. and Russian officials and that no Russian prisoners were exchanged for Gilman.
- Gilman is accompanied by family and U.S. medical personnel and will be taken to a military rehabilitation and medical facility in Texas for further assessment and treatment on arrival.
- The case highlights disputed accounts of wrongdoing and mistreatment, confusion over whether Gilman had been officially designated 'wrongfully detained,' and the broader diplomatic pressure on Russia over Americans held there.