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Former Marine Robert Gilman returns to the U.S. after 1,666 days of wrongful detention and psychological warfare in Russia

Former U.S. Marine Robert Gilman was released from Russian captivity on Tuesday, returning to the U.S. for medical treatment in San Antonio, Texas. The administration announced that President Trump secured Gilman's release on humanitarian grounds, a move that required bipartisan cooperation between President Trump and Senator Ed Markey. Gilman was detained in 2022 while transiting Russia on his way to a teaching job in Moldova. During his four-year imprisonment, he suffered from a campaign of physical and psychological abuse, including forced exercise sessions lasting up to 16 hours and a state of dissociative stupor. Security footage revealed Gilman being beaten by guards after punching a jailer. While Gilman begins a long road to recovery, his family and the nonprofit Global Reach are urging the administration to recognize five other Americans as wrongfully detained. These individuals, including David Barnes and Olga Jezler, remain in Russian custody and face various health issues and political hurdles in hostage diplomacy.

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