Posted on 08/06/2026 3:13:42 PM PDT by Mr. Mojo
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A former U.S. Marine jailed in Russia since 2022 and allegedly tortured and injected with mind-altering drugs, slipped into a stupor in June and may be close to death, according to two hostage advocacy groups and his sister.
The White House and the State Department have urged Moscow to release Robert Gilman, 32, so he can receive urgent medical treatment in the U.S., said Eric Lebson, chief strategy officer of Global Reach, an advocacy group representing his family. Gilman is being fed through a tube, he said.
A source familiar with the matter told Reuters they had learned through State Department contacts that Secretary of State Marco Rubio raised the case with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov during a meeting in Manila on July 23.
The source, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, said they did not know Lavrov’s response.
Gilman is one of at least 10 Americans known to be imprisoned in Russia. His death would complicate Washington’s ties with Moscow, already strained by the Iran and Ukraine wars and other issues.
A senior Trump administration official, who was also granted anonymity, said the administration “is closely tracking Mr. Gilman’s case and has made repeated, concerted outreach to the Russians calling for his return to the United States.”
“We are deeply concerned about Robert Gilman’s health and continued detention,” the State Department said in a statement.
(Excerpt) Read more at newsnationnow.com ...
First I’ve heard about U.S. Marine Robert Gilman.
“Gilman was first jailed in 2022 for assaulting a police officer while drunk, and his sentence was extended in 2024 following subsequent convictions for assaulting prison officials and a state investigator.”
https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/jailed-american-robert-gilman-taken-to-russian-hospital-newspaper-reports/ar-AA27AuV1
*******************************************************************
I know nothing about this case but judging solely from the above extract he could be dealing with a mental illness or behavioral control issues. Just sayin’.
Or simple Russian nationalism, where you can be treated badly by a nationale, but responding means jail.
They tend to arrest US citizens, keep them locked up as trade material for spy exchanges.
once a marine always a marine.
Had to read to the end of the article to find out what he was doing in Russia to begin with...This doesn’t tell us WHY he was there but at least how he came to be arrested...Serving a year in the USMC doesn’t make any sense...was his arrest in Russia related to a possible medical discharge because of unsuitable behavior then and later? WHY travel to Russia? All supposition and few details. At any rate, not good!! The US needs to work any magic it takes to get him home to his family...
“”Gilman, who served in the U.S. Marines from August 2019 until August 2020, was traveling by train when he was arrested on January 17, 2022, in Voronezh, Lebson said.
He was detained for allegedly kicking a police officer while drunk, according to Russian state media.””
Prayers up for him.
That’s a holdover habit from the Cold War!
Was this the one the state dept chose Britteny Griner instead?
I don’t think so. I believe that man (an older white gentleman with white hair) has already been released.
Not certain.
My first question is WTF is a Marine doing in Russia? A job isn’t one of those.
user avatar
Mike Minogue | MA Gov Candidate
@mikeminoguema
Dear @elonmusk - One of my long-term employees and friend at Abiomed, Vlad Gilman, has been trying to attain the release of his son, Robert, from a prison in Russia. The Biden administration never granted his request for a “wrongful detention designation” submitted March 20, 2023. Without this designation, his son will not be considered for a release. Robert was arrested January 17, 2022, and is a former Marine, like our @VP JD Vance. He was detained with evolving charges and sentenced to 4.5 years for kicking a police officer who was unharmed and has said publicly on the record that it was an accident. Robert has already served over 3 years in a Russian prison.
Robert’s dad has spent his career designing heart pumps that save lives all over the world. Please help us get Vlad’s son and former Marine home.
@SecRubio @michaelgwaltz @aboehler @VP
@mdschooleydc
Below is an interview from his sister requesting help from President @realDonaldTrump
newsnationnow.com/vargasreports/…
robert gilman in Marine dress uniform
Sister of ex-Marine held in Russia pleads for Trump’s help
From newsnationnow.com
12:44 PM · Mar 6, 2025
3.4K
View
bookmark.
Me too. Sounds a bit like the Otto Warmbier treatment in N. Korea.
Nothing changes in Russia. Putin wants to be a tsar but since there ARE no more tsars, they simply put their worth THUG to head the country. Thus: PUTIN.
I agree with you 100%.
“My first question is WTF is a Marine doing in Russia?”
Not to mention 100 miles from Ukraine.
Trevor Reed, the former Obama White House Marine who was arrested and convicted in Russia for hitting a Russian cop, was swapped by the Dems for Konstantin Yaroshenko, a pilot and drug dealer from Russia.
Like Lee Harvey Oswald
Charles Whitman
Nigel Edge
Thomas Sanford
etc.
Sad, he should be first. He’s always a marine. No one left behind.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.