FILE - Stephen Hubbard, a U.S. citizen accused of fighting as a mercenary in Ukraine against Russia shows up in a video link as he stands in a glass cage during a court session in the Moscow City court in Moscow, Russia, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, File)
Russia releases imprisoned American man, US envoy Witkoff says on visit to St. Petersburg
Oct 21, 2026 | 2:26 AM
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Russia has released a retired American teacher who had been imprisoned on charges of fighting as a mercenary in Ukraine, U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff said Wednesday at a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg.
The deal comes at a time when President Donald Trump has taken actions meant to benefit Moscow.
Stephen Hubbard, of Michigan, was sentenced after a closed trial in 2024 to nearly seven years in prison. Prosecutors said he had signed a contract with the Ukrainian military after Russia sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022, and that he fought alongside them until being captured two months later.
The U.S. government under the Biden administration designated Hubbard as wrongfully detained.
