Russia released an American military veteran on Tuesday after more than four years in prison, ending a detention that his family and U.S. officials have described as wrongful and marked by treatment that left him gravely ill.
Robert Gilman, a 32-year-old teacher from Massachusetts and a former Marine, was freed after President Donald Trump said he had spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to The Associated Press. Trump described the decision as "very much on a Humanitarian Basis" in a post on Truth Social.
Trump said Moscow sought nothing in return and that no exchange took place, NPR reported. He added that Gilman would arrive at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Tuesday night, where administration representatives would meet him.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio posted a photograph on social media showing a gaunt Gilman wrapped in an American flag and surrounded by relatives aboard an aircraft, NBC News reported.
A State Department spokesperson called the release a welcome step and said it should lead to freedom for other Americans held unjustly in Russia, singling out Stephen Hubbard. Hubbard, a retired teacher, was arrested in Ukraine in 2022 and accused of fighting for the country against Russia. A Russian court sentenced him in 2024 to nearly seven years. The State Department has said the charges against him are false.
The release came days after a group advocating for Gilman warned that he was seriously ill, CBS News reported.
Arrests of Americans in Russia have grown more frequent in recent years, and concern has risen that Moscow may be detaining U.S. nationals to hold as leverage in negotiations over Russians convicted of crimes in the United States and Europe. Five other Americans remain imprisoned in Russia with deteriorating medical conditions, according to Global Reach, an organization working for their release.