Jailed ex-U.S. Marine may be near death in Russia, sister says

The White House has have urged Moscow to release Robert Gilman, 32, so he can receive urgent medical treatment in the United States.

WASHINGTON — 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.