US Marine Detained in Russia Near Death Advocates Say

Concerns are mounting over the life of a former U.S. Marine imprisoned in Russia, with his family and advocacy groups warning he is near death after falling into a severe catatonic state. Robert Gilman, 32, has been held in Russian custody since his arrest in January 2022 and is now hospitalized in Voronezh, unable to eat or communicate.

According to Eric Lebson, chief strategy officer of the advocacy group Global Reach, Gilman entered what medical professionals have assessed as a "dissociative stupor" in late June. He has since been transferred from a prison hospital to the psychiatric ward of a civilian emergency hospital, where he is being fed through a tube, is largely unresponsive, and has been unable to attend court hearings. Lebson stated that Gilman's mother, who traveled to Russia with a court order permitting a visit, has been barred from seeing him, as have his Russian lawyer and U.S. consular officials in recent weeks.

The U.S. government has expressed deep concern and is actively pressing for his release. A State Department spokesperson said the U.S. has repeatedly raised Gilman's case with Russian authorities and requested his release on humanitarian grounds so he...