Russia returned an American who fought on the side of Ukraine to the US
Stephen Hubbard, who participated in the defense of Ukraine and was sentenced to nearly seven years in prison after being captured, was released by Putin "out of respect for Trump" on the eve of his meeting with Witkoff.
Russia returned an American who fought on the side of Ukraine to the US
Vladimir Putin released US citizen Stephen Hubbard, who was sentenced by a Russian court on charges of mercenarism.
Putin announced this in Saint Petersburg at the beginning of a meeting with the US president's special envoy, Steve Witkoff. The Russian president added that Hubbard was already at Pulkovo Airport. He is expected to fly to Oslo together with Witkoff.
According to the official description, Hubbard was released "as a gesture of goodwill."
Donald Trump also stated that this was a unilateral step and that Russia had demanded nothing in return "out of respect for President Trump." The US president also added that those who previously demanded "immediate" sanctions against Russia were now "calling to apologize."
The Moscow City Court passed the verdict on Hubbard in October 2024.
At that time, he was 72 years old. According to investigators, the American had been living in Ukraine since 2014 and joined a territorial defense unit in the Kharkiv region in February 2022. A month later, he was captured by the Russian military and found guilty under the article on mercenarism (Part 3 of Article 359 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). The prosecutor's office requested a seven-year prison sentence, and the court sentenced him to six years and ten months. The case was heard behind closed doors in two sessions. According to Russian authorities, the American pleaded guilty in court. At the same time, Hubbard's sister said in an interview that he worked as an English teacher, held pro-Russian views, and did not know how to use weapons.
Hubbard was tortured in captivity.
According to former Ukrainian prisoner Ihor Chychko, who returned from Russian captivity and was kept in the same cell with the American until his sentence was announced, Hubbard and the Ukrainian servicemen held with him were beaten, humiliated, and starved. "Like everyone else, he was beaten regularly. They beat him with sticks and truncheons, and kicked him. They set dogs on him, deprived him of food, and forced him to crawl in the hallways," he said. Hubbard himself told Chychko that he was also tortured with electricity.