American Near Death In Russian Prison As Family Makes Urgent Plea

A former U.S. Marine imprisoned in Russia for more than 1,662 days may be near death after slipping into a catatonic-like state, prompting urgent calls from his family for the Trump administration to secure his release before it is too late.

Robert Gilman, a 32-year-old Massachusetts resident imprisoned in Russia since 2022, was diagnosed roughly seven weeks ago with a dissociative stupor, a condition in which a person becomes largely unresponsive and unable to eat or communicate. He has since developed severe pneumonia, according to Sen. Edward Markey (D-MA) and advocates working on his behalf.

“I am very worried that, if urgent action is not taken to release Robert so he can receive urgent medical care in the United States, his condition could become permanent, or he could die in Russian custody,” Markey said, adding that his death could result “in a situation that will further complicate an already difficult relationship” between the United States and Russia.

Gilman is being fed through a tube after being transferred from a prison hospital to the psychiatric ward of a civilian hospital in Voronezh, Russia, Reuters reported. He is reportedly unable to communicate, keeps his eyes shut, and has been unable to attend court hearings because of his condition.

The White House and State Department have urged Moscow to release Gilman so he can receive urgent medical treatment in the United States, Reuters reported. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also raised Gilman’s case with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov during a meeting in Manila on July 23.

Gilman is one of roughly ten Americans known to be imprisoned in Russia. Unlike several Americans freed in recent prisoner exchanges, Gilman has not been designated by the State Department as “wrongfully detained,” a status that provides additional diplomatic resources and allows the U.S. government to provide financial support for Gilman’s medical care and other needs.

The State Department has not publicly explained why Gilman has not received the designation.

Gilman served in the Marine Corps before becoming an English teacher. He was traveling to a new job in Moldova in November 2021 after establishing a teaching business in Poland. According to FreeRobertGilman.com, he became ill while transiting through Moscow and remained in Russia to recover. During that time, he discovered his luggage and passport had allegedly been tampered with, requiring him to replace missing passport pages before continuing his trip. While waiting, he visited extended family outside Moscow.

The advocacy group says that on Jan. 17, 2022, while returning to Moscow to have his passport repaired at the U.S. Embassy, Gilman became violently ill again. Rather than receiving medical assistance, the group alleges Russian police struck him with a baton and took him into custody.

The group says Gilman was vomiting and repeatedly collapsing, possibly due to a concussion, when officers attempted to restrain him, and that he accidentally struck an officer’s shin.

Despite the officer later reportedly saying Gilman should not be charged, prosecutors pursued a series of charges against him.

According to the advocacy group, Gilman was subjected to forced drugging, torture, compulsory exercise for up to 16 hours, and six months in an extreme punishment cell, which it says led to additional charges and an extended sentence after being found guilty of allegedly assaulting prison staff.

According to Russian media, his sentence was extended to 10 years.

Gilman’s deteriorating condition has drawn comparisons to other Americans previously detained in Russia, including teacher Marc Fogel, who returned to the United States earlier this year after the Trump administration negotiated his release.

At the time, Rubio said Fogel’s return was “a reminder that other American citizens are still detained in Russia” and pledged that the administration remained committed to bringing them home.

Before his release, The Daily Wire reported that Fogel had fallen into a depression after being excluded from a major U.S.-Russia prisoner exchange under the Biden administration.

In a recorded phone call obtained by The Daily Wire, Fogel told his family he felt “like a second-class citizen” after watching other high-profile Americans—including WNBA star Brittney Griner and Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich—return home while he remained imprisoned.

Gilman’s family now fears he could suffer an even graver fate if a similar diplomatic breakthrough does not come soon.

Reuters reported that Gilman’s mother has been barred from visiting him in the hospital despite obtaining a Russian court order permitting the visit. Neither U.S. consular officials nor Gilman’s Russian attorney have been allowed to see him.

“I ​am more afraid for my brother than I have been since this horrible nightmare started,” Lexie Hudson, Gilman’s sister, said in a statement. “I’m worried that I ⁠may never see him again if the Russians don’t release him. I’m worried that he could die.”