U.S. Ex-Marine Sentenced in Russia: The Complex Case of Robert Gilman

A Russian court sentenced U.S. citizen Robert Gilman to seven years for assaulting a prison official and state investigator. Gilman, already serving a sentence for attacking a police officer, confessed to the charges, citing provocation. His case highlights ongoing tensions between Moscow and the West.

A Russian court on Monday sentenced U.S. citizen and former Marine Robert Gilman to seven years and one month in prison, as reported by the local prosecutor's office. He was convicted for assaulting a prison official and a state investigator.

Previously, Gilman was serving a 3-1/2-year term for assaulting a police officer while intoxicated, dating back to October 2022. The prosecutors in Voronezh, 300 miles south of Moscow, stated that Gilman committed the assaults on different occasions in autumn 2023.

Attempts to reach Gilman's lawyer were unsuccessful, and the U.S. Embassy in Moscow hasn't commented. Gilman, who came to Russia to study and apply for citizenship, pleaded guilty, claiming provocations sparked his violent responses. His case emerges amid a backdrop of strained U.S.-Russia relations, where at least 10 Americans remain imprisoned in Russia.