Overview
- U.S. officials announced Tuesday that Russia released Robert Gilman after more than four years in custody and that he is en route to the United States under U.S. government escort.
- Advocates and family groups say Gilman arrived in a grave medical state after alleged mistreatment in Russian custody that included forced labor, psychotropic drugs and a 47‑day period described as a dissociative stupor.
- Gilman was first detained in January 2022 in Vorónezh on an assault charge and Russian courts later expanded convictions to produce a reported total sentence of about ten years.
- The White House said President Trump spoke with President Putin before the release and credited special envoy Steve Witkoff for negotiating the transfer, which U.S. officials described as humanitarian and not part of an exchange.
- Gilman is expected to land at Andrews Air Force Base and be moved to a military hospital in Texas for medical and psychological evaluation while the U.S. presses for the return of other Americans held in Russia, notably Stephen Hubbard.