Nicolai Haugsted
US steps up pressure on Russia after alarming update on former Marine.
Diplomatic efforts between Washington and Moscow have taken on renewed urgency as concerns mount over the health of a former U.S. Marine imprisoned in Russia.
According to Meduza, American officials are now pushing for Robert Gilman’s release after reports that his condition has sharply deteriorated behind bars.
The case was reportedly raised by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio during a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in the Philippines on July 23, according to Reuters, citing sources familiar with the discussions.
Gilman’s relatives fear the 32-year-old may not survive if he remains in Russian custody.
Eric Lebson, strategy director at the human rights organization Global Reach, which represents the family, said both the White House and the State Department have urged Moscow to free the former Marine.
According to his family, Gilman has complained of torture and injections involving mind-altering substances. They also say he has been in a dissociative stupor since June and is currently being fed through a tube while hospitalized.
His sister believes he could be nearing death.
Trump administration monitoring the case
A senior Trump administration official told Reuters that the White House is closely following Gilman’s situation and has repeatedly pressed Russian authorities to allow him to return to the United States.
The State Department also said it is “deeply concerned” about his health.
Sentence grew while in prison
Gilman was arrested in the Russian city of Voronezh in January 2022 after being accused of assaulting a police officer during an altercation at a railway station.
He was initially sentenced to four and a half years in prison, although that term was later reduced by one year.
While serving his sentence, however, prosecutors accused him of repeated confrontations with officers from Russia’s Federal Penitentiary Service and of disrupting the operation of the penal colony. Those additional charges ultimately increased his prison term to 10 years.
Russian newspaper Kommersant reported in July 2026 that Gilman had been transferred to a hospital.
One of several Americans detained
Reuters reports that Gilman is among at least 10 American citizens currently detained in Russia.
His name also appeared on a list compiled by Washington in 2025 of U.S. nationals it hoped to secure through a future prisoner exchange with Moscow, highlighting that his case has remained on the U.S. government’s agenda for more than a year.
