Russia frees ailing ex-US marine after Putin’s ‘goodwill’ pardon

On Tuesday, Russian authorities released Robert Gilman, a 32-year-old former U.S. Marine who had been imprisoned in Russia since 2022. The decision came after President Vladimir Putin approved the pardon for the ailing American, citing humanitarian reasons, according to US officials. The White House and State Department had previously urged Moscow to release Gilman so he could receive medical treatment in the United States.

Mr. Gilman, who served in the U.S. Marine Corps from August 2019 to August 2020, was arrested in January 2022 in Voronezh, Russia, for allegedly kicking a police officer while drunk. However, his father, Vladimir Gilman, who had emigrated to Massachusetts from Russia, claimed that the charges were false; his son had fallen ill and accidentally kicked the officer.

The officer was uninjured and dropped the charges without presenting evidence at the trial. As a result, Robert Gilman was sentenced to four-and-a-half years in prison.

Upon his release, Gilman was transported from Russia to Washington Dulles Airport on a State Department plane. According to a US official who spoke to Gilman, he was walking and talking upon arrival, and would be evaluated by four doctors. The official added that Gilman's mother, Nina, was also with him on the flight. Once in Dulles, Gilman would be greeted by U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, Deputy National Security Adviser Sebastian Gorka, and other officials, before being flown to a rehabilitation center in San Antonio, Texas, for medical treatment.