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Former US Marine Robert Gilman Near Death in Russian Custody After Alleged Torture
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Former US Marine Robert Gilman, who has been held in a Russian prison since 2022, is in critical condition and may be nearing death after allegedly being tortured and injected with mind-altering drugs, according to Reuters on August 6.
The White House and the US State Department have called on Russia to release the 32-year-old so he can undergo urgent medical treatment in the United States, Eric Lebson, chief strategy officer of the advocacy group Global Reach, which represents Gilman's family, told Reuters.
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Gilman is one of at least 10 Americans currently known to be imprisoned in Russia. Reuters noted that his death could further deepen tensions between Washington and Moscow, which are already strained by the wars in Ukraine and Iran, as well as other geopolitical disputes.
“I am more afraid for my brother than I have been since this horrible nightmare started,” Gilman's sister, Lexie Hudson, 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.”
A senior Trump administration official told Reuters the administration was “closely tracking Mr. Gilman's case and has made repeated, concerted outreach to the Russians calling for his return to the United States.”
According to Lebson, Gilman's mother has been prevented from visiting her son despite obtaining a court order allowing her access. He added that while US consular officials had previously been allowed occasional prison visits, neither they nor Gilman's Russian lawyer have been permitted to see him in the hospital.
Gilman had been serving his sentence at a prison in Voronezh, about 547 kilometers (340 miles) south of Moscow. According to Lebson, he was moved in late June from the prison medical unit to the psychiatric department of a civilian emergency hospital after falling into what physicians described as a “dissociative stupor.”
The World Health Organization's ICD-10 diagnostic classification defines dissociative stupor as a condition marked by a severe reduction or complete absence of voluntary movement and normal responsiveness to external stimuli.
Lebson said Gilman has been unable to communicate, keeps his eyes closed, and relies on tube feeding for nutrition and hydration. His medical condition has prevented him from attending court hearings.
“It doesn’t seem like he’s getting the care he needs, and we are very concerned for his life and safety,” said Elizabeth Richards, director of hostage advocacy and research at the Foley Foundation.
According to Reuters, Russian newspaper reported on July 9 that Gilman had been transferred to a hospital in Voronezh, citing his lawyer as saying it was too early to establish a diagnosis.
In a separate development, Ukraine has documented what officials describe as the first confirmed case of a child listed as missing in the government's official “Children of War” registry later being identified as serving in the Russian armed forces.
The case involves Oleksandr Mustyatse, a native of the village of Krynky in Ukraine's Kherson region. He disappeared after Russia launched its full-scale invasion and remained on the national registry of missing children for an extended period before Ukrainian authorities established that he had joined the ranks of the Russian military.
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