A former US Marine imprisoned for four-and-a-half years in Russia has been freed after Russian president Vladimir Putin issued a humanitarian pardon for the American. US officials confirmed that Robert Gilman was safely aboard a State Department plane flying from Russia to Washington on Tuesday, 11th August. “After my discussions with President Vladimir Putin, Russia has agreed to release him, very much on a humanitarian basis,” Donald Trump said of the 32-year-old in a Truth Social post. The White House and the State Department had urged Moscow to release Gilman so he could undergo medical treatment in the United States. Gilman served in the US Marines for one year from August 2019 and was travelling aboard a train when he was taken into custody in January 2022 for allegedly kicking a police officer. Gilman’s family has disputed the claim, saying that he was ill when the incident occurred and had kicked the police officer by accident.