Marine veteran's family advocate reveals his torment in Russian prison

Kieran Ramsey, the chief investigative officer for Global Reach, provided a detailed account of the horrific conditions U.S. Marine veteran Robert Gilman experienced while wrongfully detained by Russia. In an interview with Fox News Digital, Ramsey described how Gilman, who was released to U.S. authorities on Tuesday, had been arrested in the city of Voronezh in 2022 after an unplanned diversion to Russia on his way to a new teaching job in Moldova. Gilman had become violently ill en route to the U.S. Embassy in Moscow to renew his passport, and Russian police, thinking he was drunk, assaulted him and then claimed he assaulted them, leading to his arrest and subsequent imprisonment.

Ramsey detailed the physical and psychological abuse Gilman endured, including beatings, forced exercise, and forced fighting. He was also subjected to psychological torment, such as being told that a hit team was sent to assault his father in Boston. Cut off from the outside world, Gilman had no idea if there was any hope, which compounded his suffering. Ramsey noted that Gilman is now recuperating in a U.S. hospital alongside his family, and while he still has a long road to go, he was able to receive immediate medical care thanks in part to the State Department designating him as a wrongful detainee.

Ramsey also highlighted the cases of five other Americans still held in Russia, including Antonov, who was on his way home from a business trip from Ukraine and transited through Russia, which Ramsey described as a risky venture. David Barnes, a Texas native, traveled to Russia to retrieve his children after his Russian ex-wife fled and took them there, and has been in prison for over four years with health issues. Another American, Khachatoorian, has an autoimmune disease that continues to worsen while he has been in a Russian prison for more than four years. Ramsey also mentioned Zimmerman, who was approached by the Russian Navy in international waters in the Black Sea and forced to follow them to Sochi under threat of sinking his vessel. Zimmerman had a firearm on board, leading to charges of international arms trafficking, and has been in prison for over a year.

Ramsey emphasized the need to keep pressure on the U.S. government to secure the release of these individuals, noting that five other families are waiting for the same outcome as Gilman's. He stressed the importance of making sure people know these names and have an expectation that the U.S. government will do everything it can to convince Russia to let these people go.