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Former US Marine Robert Gilman released from detention in Russia

By CNN

(CNN) — American Robert Gilman was released from Russian detention for humanitarian reasons on Tuesday amid severe concerns about his health, multiple officials told CNN.

Gilman, a 32-year-old former Marine, had been detained in Russia since 2022. US President Donald Trump said Tuesday he had spoken with Gilman, whose advocates and family had feared was “near death” after allegedly being subjected to physical and psychological torture.

“After my discussions with President Vladimir Putin, Russia has agreed to release him, very much on a Humanitarian Basis,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post Tuesday.

According to a US official, Putin approved a pardon for Gilman.

“We appreciate this decision, and the fact that Russia asked for no one in return — No exchange took place,” Trump added in his post. It is unclear when Trump and Putin spoke about the case.

Kirill Dmitriev, a Kremlin special envoy and head of the Russian sovereign wealth fund, also said Tuesday that Gilman had been freed from detention “for humanitarian reasons.”

Trump said that when he spoke with Gilman, “he had one request — A GREAT cheeseburger when he lands.”

Gilman will arrive in the US on Tuesday at Joint Base Andrews outside of Washington, DC, Trump said, “where my Representatives, some of whom are on the plane with him, will welcome Robert back to THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!”

A US official told CNN that Gilman is receiving medical care and is being transported back to the United States on a specialized medical plane. His mother, who had traveled to Russia to try to see her son, is with him, according to Trump, the official, a source familiar with the matter, and Global Reach, the organization advocating on behalf of his family.

The source familiar with the matter described Gilman as verbal, but non-ambulatory.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio welcomed Gilman’s release, but noted the administration is “still seeking the immediate return of all other unjustly detained Americans, including wrongful detainee Stephen Hubbard.” There are numerous other Americans who remain detained in Russia.

Eric Lebson, the chief strategy officer of Global Reach, told CNN last week that Gilman had fallen into a “dissociative stupor” more than six weeks ago and there were concerns that he could die in Russian custody. A State Department spokesperson last week echoed that they were “deeply concerned” about his “health and continued detention in Russia.”

Lebson said Tuesday that “it is too early to know Robert’s long-term medical prognosis.”

After he lands back in the DC area, Gilman will likely head to a US military hospital in Texas, Global Reach said, “where he will be medically and psychologically assessed and treated.” Many Americans who have been designated as “wrongful detainees” have been treated at a military facility there after release. A State Department spokesperson said Tuesday that Gilman had been designated as wrongfully detained.

Gilman’s sister, Lexie Hudson, expressed thanks to US President Donald Trump for “saving (her) brother’s life.”

“There is no other reason that Robert is alive today other than that President Trump heard about the case and took action,” she said in a statement that also thanked Democratic Sen. Ed Markey.

“I am looking forward to seeing Robert. I haven’t been able to speak with him once since this all began,” Hudson said. “We will make sure that he gets the treatment and support that he needs.”

Gilman was arrested in January 2022. Russian officials alleged that he was drunk and got into an altercation with a police officer. Lebson denied that account, saying Gilman was hit by the police, got sick, and accidentally kicked the officer.

Gilman was sentenced to four and a half years in prison. He is one of multiple former US Marines who have been arrested in Russia, including Trevor Reed and Paul Whelan.

Numerous Americans remain detained in Russia, including Andre Khachatoorian, Olga Jezler, Chuck Zimmerman, David Barnes, Aleksander Antonov and Stephen Hubbard.

The State Department spokesperson said Tuesday that they hope Gilman’s release “leads to the release of Americans unjustly held in Russia, such as wrongful detainee Stephen Hubbard.”

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

A 10-year-old was struggling in a rip current when a stranger became her hero. Now two families are forever linked

By CNN
A Georgia teacher was enjoying a day at the beach before the start of the new school year when he heard a cry for help.Without hesitation, Derrick Moore leaped into action.More than 30 yards offshore, a 10-year-old girl was being pulled out by a rip current.The girl, Summer McCallum, was on a beach trip to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, planned by her uncle to honor the sixth anniversary of her father’s death. Her uncle, Ernest McCallum, had been watching her enjoy a few more minutes in the water as the sun began to fall.But the calm day gave way to terror when her uncle again looked out into the ocean and saw Summer’s head bobbing in and out of the water.As the girl’s uncle sprinted into the ocean, he wasn’t alone. A stranger — Moore — rushed in right behind him.Moore, a 47-year-old elementary school teacher, had spent most of his career teaching children around Summer’s age. At Rockbridge Elementary School outside Atlanta, students lovingly called him “Coach.”Now, he was urgently racing toward a child he had never met.McCallum hit the water and pushed himself toward his niece, using every ounce of his energy to get to her, before the current pulled him under and swept him away.When McCallum came up for air, relief washed over him as he saw the stranger with Summer. He quickly went back to shore, returning to the water with several other men holding boogie boards to rescue the pair.But halfway there, McCallum lost sight of Moore. And by the time they reached Summer, he was gone.Summer told McCallum the man instructed her to hold onto his arm. When the other rescuers got closer, he pushed her toward them, allowing them to pull her to safety.Around the same time hundreds of miles away while on a trip to St. Louis, Suzette Moore received a call from her son’s fiancée. He had gone missing trying to save a little girl in the ocean, his fiancée told her.Suzette Moore threw her hands in the air and began to pray she would see her son, Derrick Moore, again.‘He was a hero before that day’Jumping into the water to save a stranger was an unsurprising act to anyone who knew Derrick Moore.The father of four “did anything and everything with a smile,” and was known as an “energetic, polite, special hero,” his colleague, Sherry Weeks, told CNN affiliate WMBF.That spirit followed Derrick Moore through the schools where he worked. He previously taught at Jolly Elementary School near Atlanta, where he was named the 2024 teacher of the year.His brother, Kameron Glasper, said many children at the school loved soccer. Though Derrick Moore had never played or coached the sport, that didn’t stop him from starting a team so the students could have an extracurricular activity to call their own.Suzette Moore described her son as a “free spirit” who loved people so much that when he was a child, she took him to the police department to be fingerprinted because she worried someone might take him. He was that friendly, she said.But as Derrick Moore’s family waited for word of his rescue, the outcome they feared slowly became a reality.A day after the girl’s rescue, on August 8, the beloved teacher’s body washed ashore, according to the Myrtle Beach Police Department.Derrick Moore not only saved Summer’s life, McCallum said, but his own, too.He said he would have stopped at nothing to reach her, even if it meant losing his own life in the process. But Derrick Moore’s act of courage meant he never had to make that choice.“He was a hero before that day. He was a hero to his family, his kids, his daddy, his mama, his family. He was a hero then. He just became a hero to everybody else on Friday,” he said.‘I really owe my life to you’In addition to those who knew Derrick Moore, his death has affected McCallum and Summer in different ways.McCallum said Summer doesn’t yet understand the severity of what happened, but she knows all too well what it’s like to lose someone important, having experienced several family deaths over the past few years.Holding hands with her uncle, Summer told CNN affiliate WFMY that, if she could, she would share a simple yet heartfelt message with Derrick Moore: “Thank you, I really owe my life to you.”“I get to go back to school and love my family more than I did,” she continued, appearing to hold back tears.After the tragic act of heroism, McCallum said he wanted to speak with Derrick Moore’s family to thank them for the selfless rescue of his niece — and in hopes of learning more about his life and who he was.McCallum told CNN that if he could speak with Derrick Moore’s family, he would tell them, “he’s every bit of what they say he is,” referencing the man’s complete lack of hesitation to risk everything for a stranger in need.Suzette Moore confirmed she has since spoken with McCallum. When she heard the little girl had lost her father on the same day years ago, told CNN it hit her “like a ton of bricks.”A lasting legacyWhile Suzette Moore hoped to see her son again, she said her family found closure in his body being found at the shore.His son, Justin Moore, told CNN he was a “father figure to many and a coach to hundreds of athletes & students.”Now, Suzette Moore sits in the Georgia home she bought years ago, looking out at the house where her son lived. It was a house that brought her closer to her son and her grandchildren, though she never imagined the view would become a reminder of what she lost.But the happiness Derrick Moore brought to others persists inside that home. Family and friends continue to gather there, filling the rooms with laughter and fond memories of the life he lived.While they continue to grieve ahead of his funeral service on August 26, his family remains proud of him and is determined to honor his name and legacy.“My son is the type of person that would do it again,” Suzette Moore said. “Even though we have lost my son, I’m not mad at anybody. … I’m sure he is thankful that he was able to save them, especially the little girl.”The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
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