United States Marine veteran Robert Gilman was released from Russian custody Tuesday on humanitarian grounds after 1,666 days in prison, Fox News has learned.
Gilman, a U.S. citizen, was arrested on Jan. 17, 2022, in Voronezh, Russia, and sentenced to a total of 10 years in prison. While in custody, he was subject to harsh and abusive treatment, putting him into "a catatonic state," according to Gilman family representative Kieran Ramsey.
In a Friday interview with Fox News, Ramsey detailed the events that led to Gilman's arrest.
"If we back up in November of 2021, he is on his way to Moldova. So he's not even supposed to travel to Russia. But in his travels, he gets violently ill and ends up having to stop in Moscow, " Ramsey told Fox News.
AMERICAN EX-MARINE FEARED NEAR DEATH AFTER WEEKS IN CATATONIC STATE IN RUSSIAN PRISON
"He ends up going to a relative's house to recuperate because of this illness. In January of 2022, after what he thought was a full recovery, he goes to the U.S. embassy to renew his passport. But en route he becomes violently ill again. And at that point the Russian police approach him thinking he's drunk, claiming they that he assaults them, and then they proceed to assault him and arrest him and charge him. And that nightmare has exponentially expanded since that point," Ramsey said.
The U.S. State Department referred to Gilman as a wrongful detainee and said his release was part of an exchange with Russia, telling Fox News that "no other concessions were provided."
Ramsey also conveyed the dire state of Gilman's medical status.
"Our main concern is that we think he's dying in a Russian hospital. And the Russians won't let his mother even visit him, let alone embassy staff," he told Fox News.
"Right now, he is in a catatonic state. He's being fed through a tube that goes down his nose into his stomach. And quite honestly, we were afraid he may already be dead or he may not come out of this," Ramsey added.
Gilman was transferred out of prison and into a civilian hospital in Voronezh on June 30.
"Robert's full medical assessment will be done when he gets back to the US and his family will join him at a US military hospital in Texas, as he starts the long road to recovery," Ramsey said in a statement Tuesday.
Robert's sister Lexie Hudson thanked President Donald Trump and Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., for their efforts in securing Gilman's release.
"I am so grateful to President Trump for saving my brother’s life. There is no other reason that Robert is alive today other than that President Trump heard about the case and took action," Hudson said in a statement provided to Fox News through the nonprofit Global Relief.
"I want to thank Senator Ed Markey for leading our advocacy efforts in Congress. He and his staff were personally involved in Robert’s case and we will forever be grateful," Hudson said.
Both Hudson and Ramsey highlighted the severe nature of Gilman's detention. "The Russians treated my brother so badly. They hurt him for no reason, other than that he was both an American and a Marine. What did they get out of this? Why did they do this to such a wonderful person?" Hudson asked.
"I'll tell you this," Ramsey told Fox News, "I have a lot of experience in the hostage space. Having been the head of the Hostage Recovery Fusion cell at the FBI, and Robert Gilman is by far one of the worst cases I've seen when it comes to how the Russians are treating Americans in prison. The fact that he is in a near catatonic state. And again, we believe he's at risk of death is just frightening for this family. It should be frightening to every American that sees this report," Ramsey said.
Gilman is the third U.S. Marine to be taken prisoner in Russia in the last decade, following Russia's detention of Paul Whelan in 2018 and Trevor Reed in 2019. Both were later released in prisoner swaps.
Global Relief, in a statement provided to Fox News, pointed out that five other wrongfully detained Americans remain in Russian prisons, "each with deteriorating medical issues."
"It is critical that the Administration uses the momentum of Robert’s release to bring home Aleksandr Antonov, David Barnes, Olga Jezler, Andre Khachatoorian, and Chuck Zimmerman before it is too late," Global Relief's Chief Strategy Officer Eric Lebson said in a statement.
