VORONEZH, Russia, Aug. 7 (World Daily Times) — Robert Gilman, a 32-year-old former U.S. Marine, has been detained in Russia since 2022 and is now receiving medical care in Voronezh after reportedly entering a catatonic-like state, according to Reuters. U.S. officials and advocacy groups are calling for his release so he can receive treatment in the United States.
The case has drawn attention because of questions about Gilman’s health, his access to legal proceedings and the lack of publicly identified Russian court, prison or medical records in the accounts available.
What happened to Gilman?
Eric Lebson, chief strategy officer of the advocacy organization Global Reach, said Gilman entered the condition in June. Lebson said physicians assessed it as a “dissociative stupor,” a term describing a severe state in which a person may become largely unresponsive.
According to Lebson, Gilman has been unable to communicate and has kept his eyes closed. He was transferred from a prison hospital to the psychiatric ward of a civilian emergency hospital in Voronezh, about 340 miles, or 547 kilometers, south of Moscow. Reuters reported the transfer occurred in late June.
Fox News, citing Lebson, reported that Gilman had been fed through a tube for 46 days as of Aug. 6, 2026. The medical claims came from Lebson and family advocacy organizations; no medical record or statement from an identified doctor was provided in the available accounts.
Lebson also said Gilman’s condition prevented him from attending court hearings. The reports do not identify the court, judge, case number or hearing dates.
Why was he detained?
Reuters reported that Gilman was convicted of attacking a police officer. The available accounts do not identify the court that handled the case, the date of conviction, the sentence or the charging document.
A 2024 sentence extension was also reported by AOL, citing the Russian newspaper Kommersant. That account said Gilman faced additional convictions for allegedly assaulting prison officials and a state investigator. The underlying Russian court records were not provided, so the details of those allegations and convictions could not be independently established from the available material.
Those accusations and convictions should not be treated as proof of wrongdoing beyond what Russian court records establish. The available reports do not provide enough information to describe the legal proceedings in detail.
What are the allegations about his treatment?
Gilman’s sister, Lexie Hudson, and representatives of Global Reach and the Foley Foundation have raised allegations that he may have been tortured and injected with mind-altering or psychotropic drugs while in custody.
The allegations have not been independently substantiated in the available material. No Russian official response, independent medical finding or evidentiary record was provided.
The reports also contain differing accounts about access to Gilman by relatives, lawyers and U.S. consular officials. One report said family members and legal representatives were denied access, but the available material does not establish the dates or full circumstances of those claims.
What has the U.S. government said?
The State Department said it was “deeply concerned about Robert Gilman’s health and continued detention.” Reuters reported that the White House and State Department urged Moscow to release him so he could receive urgent medical treatment in the United States.
The available material does not include a direct White House statement or establish whether Russia formally rejected or accepted the request. One secondary account, summarizing earlier reporting, said Secretary of State Marco Rubio raised Gilman’s case with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. An official record of that discussion was not provided.
What does his family say?
Hudson said she feared she might never see her brother again if Russia did not release him and that he could die in custody.
Elizabeth Richards, director of hostage advocacy and research at the Foley Foundation, said the organization was concerned that Gilman was not receiving the care he needed and feared for his life and safety.
The available accounts do not establish Gilman’s current prognosis through an identified doctor or medical document. They also do not identify a specific Russian hospital, prison or court handling the case.
The case therefore includes two separate questions: the legal basis for Gilman’s detention and the urgent, but incompletely documented, claims about his medical condition and treatment. Public statements from U.S. officials and advocacy groups have focused on his reported health crisis and the need for his release, while key Russian records and an official Russian response remain unavailable in the material reviewed.
