The president of the United States, Donald Trump, communicated this Tuesday that the former American marine Robert Gilman, imprisoned in Russia since 2022, has finally been released and is scheduled to land tonight in Washington. The president has linked this outcome to the conversations held recently with the Russian president, Vladimir Putin.
"I am proud to announce that American citizen Robert Gilman, a former marine of the United States, is coming home! As is well known by the media, Robert was imprisoned in Russia in 2022, during the (Joe) Biden Administration. After my conversations with President Vladimir Putin, Russia has agreed to release him, for purely humanitarian reasons," he specified on his social media.
From the White House, Trump expressed his recognition to the Kremlin for this decision, which, he emphasized, does not imply "any exchange" of prisoners. For now, Russian authorities have not offered an official reaction to the announcement made by the American president.
The Republican leader detailed that the former marine will arrive "tonight" at Andrews Air Force Base, in the state of Maryland, on the outskirts of Washington, aboard a plane that will also carry some of his "representatives" and his "wonderful mother, Nancy."
The president has claimed that during his term, special emphasis has been placed on the repatriation of American citizens held abroad. "We have done it at an unprecedented level, bringing back hundreds of people to their families," he stated, presenting Gilman's case as a new example of this policy.
Trump has extended his gratitude for the release of the former marine to his "incredible team," specifically mentioning special envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, as well as the special envoy for kidnapping response, Adam Boehler, and the senior director for counterterrorism, Sebastian Gorka.
The judicial history of Robert Gilman in Russia
A Russian court imposed a sentence of four and a half years in prison on Gilman in 2022, which was later reduced by one year. Later, in October 2024, he was sentenced to an additional seven years and one month for disobeying the daily routine of the penitentiary center and using physical violence against a prison official. In April 2025, this last sentence was increased by one more year.
In addition, in December 2025, another Russian judicial instance imposed a new sentence of two years in prison on Gilman, who had already been behind bars for three years prior for the assault on a police officer. The ex-marine was initially arrested in January 2022 at the train station in Voronezh, in Russian territory.