Russia has released a former US marine who had been in prison since 2022, after Vladimir Putin granted the ailing American a pardon on humanitarian grounds.
Robert Gilman, 32, an English teacher who briefly served in the US Marines, was arrested in January 2022 while traveling by train in the southern Russian city of Voronezh. According to Russian state media, he was accused of kicking a police officer while drunk. He was later sentenced to four and a half years in prison, though his family has consistently denied the allegations.
His father, Vladimir Gilman, who emigrated to Massachusetts from Russia, wrote in an October 2024 Boston Globe op-ed that his son had fallen ill when the incident occurred and had accidentally kicked the police officer.
Concerns about Gilman’s health had grown sharply in recent weeks, and the White House and the State Department had urged Moscow to release him so he could receive medical treatment in the US.
Eric Lebson, chief strategy officer at Global Reach, an advocacy group representing Gilman’s family, told Reuters last week that Gilman had been transferred in late June from a prison hospital to the psychiatric ward of a civilian emergency hospital in a catatonic-like state that doctors assessed as a “dissociative stupor.”
US President Donald Trump claimed he had spoken directly to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin about the issue, leading to Gilman’s release.
“I am proud to announce that American citizen Robert Gilman, a former United States Marine, is coming HOME!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“After my discussions with President Vladimir Putin, Russia has agreed to release him, very much on a humanitarian basis,” Trump added.
US officials told Reuters that Gilman was already on a State Department plane carrying him from Russia to Washington Dulles airport, adding that Gilman would be greeted on arrival by US envoy Steve Witkoff and Sebastian Gorka, a deputy assistant to President Trump.
The official who spoke to Gilman said he was walking and talking.
“All things considered, he seems to be in good shape,” the official said.
Trump stressed on social media that Russia had not sought the release of anyone in return. “No exchange took place,” he wrote.
It is highly unusual for Russia to free a jailed US citizen without securing a prisoner in return.
The decision to release Gilman is therefore likely to be seen as a signal of Moscow’s eagerness to improve relations with the Trump administration, after several weeks in which the US president has appeared to shift towards a more supportive position on Ukraine.
Shortly after Trump returned to office, Washington secured the release of American schoolteacher Marc Fogel from a Russian prison in exchange for a Russian national jailed in the US on money-laundering charges.
Gilman was one of at least 10 Americans known to be imprisoned in Russia.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here is a list of FAQs about the release of the former US Marine from Russia written in a natural and clear tone
General Questions
1 Who is this former US Marine that was released
His name is Trevor Reed Hes a former US Marine from Texas who was arrested in Russia in 2019
2 Why was he arrested in the first place
Reed was arrested in Moscow and accused of assaulting a Russian police officer while drunk His family and the US government strongly denied these charges claiming he was innocent and that the accusations were fabricated
3 How long was he in prison
He was held in Russian custody for nearly three years from his arrest in 2019 until his release in April 2022
4 What was his sentence
He was convicted in 2020 and sentenced to nine years in a Russian penal colony
5 When was he actually released
He was released on April 27 2022
6 How did he get released
He was released as part of a prisoner swap The US exchanged a convicted Russian drug trafficker named Konstantin Yaroshenko for Reed
7 Is he back in the US now
Yes he was flown back to the United States shortly after the swap and reunited with his family in Texas
The Case and Controversy
8 Why did his family dispute the conviction
His family and his legal team argued that there was no credible evidence against him They claimed he was severely ill with COVID19 in a Russian jail and that the Russian authorities framed him to use as a bargaining chip in diplomatic disputes
9 What did the US government say about the case
The US government including the State Department consistently called the charges baseless and declared him to be wrongfully detained This designation meant the US government officially believed he was being used as a political pawn
10 What did Reed himself say about the allegations
Reed maintained his innocence from the start He stated that he had no memory of the incident he was accused of and believed he was targeted because he was an American
11 Was there any video evidence of the alleged assault
The defense argued that there was no reliable video evidence showing Reed assaulting the officer
