Russia released an American teacher who had been captured during the occupation of Izium
On October 21, Russia released U.S. citizen Stephen Hubbard, who had been captured by Russian forces in 2022 in occupied Izium, Kharkiv region. The American spent more than four years in Russian custody, and in 2024 he was sentenced to almost seven years in a penal colony on charges of mercenary activity.
The release became known during a meeting between Vladimir Putin and U.S. President’s special envoy Steve Witkoff in St. Petersburg. The information was confirmed by several media outlets.
According to Putin, Hubbard has already been released from custody and is at Pulkovo Airport, from where he is expected to fly to the United States. During the meeting, Witkoff thanked the Russian leader for this decision.
At the same time, there is currently no confirmation that the American has already left Russia and returned home.
On the eve of the meeting, U.S. President Donald Trump said that he personally discussed Hubbard’s release with Putin. While speaking to journalists at the White House on October 20, the American leader said that he had repeatedly raised this issue and hoped for a speedy positive decision.
Trump also hinted that developments might become known in the coming days. The very next day, Moscow announced the release of the American.
The American was captured during the occupation of Izium
Stephen Hubbard is a retired American English teacher, a native of Michigan. According to Reuters, he is 74 years old. He previously worked as a teacher in Japan, and in 2014 he moved to the Ukrainian city of Izium together with his partner.
In April 2022, when the city was under Russian occupation, Hubbard fell into the hands of Russian forces. The circumstances of his detention remain a matter of dispute.
The Russian side claimed that the American joined the Ukrainian territorial defense, underwent military training, and participated in combat operations against the Russian Federation. According to the prosecution version, he was allegedly promised a monthly payment of one thousand dollars.
In contrast, Hubbard’s lawyer Martin De Luca denied these accusations. According to him, the American did not serve in Ukrainian military units, and Russian soldiers took him directly from his own house in Izium.
Hubbard’s sister, Patricia Fox, also questioned the Russian investigation’s version. She noted that her brother had no military intentions and was unlikely to have voluntarily joined a combat unit at his age.
After his capture, the American was held in various Russian detention centers and penal colonies. His family for a long time had no reliable information about his whereabouts.
In October 2024, after a closed trial, the Moscow City Court found Hubbard guilty of mercenary activity and sentenced him to six years and ten months of imprisonment in a general-regime penal colony.
According to Russian state media, the American admitted guilt. However, his defense insisted that the charges were false.
In January 2025, the U.S. State Department officially recognized Hubbard as wrongfully detained. Washington also reported that Russian authorities had denied American diplomats consular access to the prisoner.
Reports of torture
Earlier, The New York Times published material about the cruel treatment of Hubbard in Russian custody.
According to his sister, she saw a video recording showing the man being beaten with his hands tied during an interrogation. American journalists also reported other evidence of mistreatment of the detainee.
As previously reported by Kurs.com.ua, Hubbard’s story became one of the examples of Russian security forces’ treatment of foreigners captured during the occupation of Ukrainian territories.
Release amid US-Russia negotiations
The decision to release Hubbard coincided with Witkoff’s visit to St. Petersburg, where negotiations with Putin on ending the war against Ukraine are taking place on October 21.
The day before, the American envoy held consultations with President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European partners in Oslo. After that, he traveled to Russia to discuss prepared peace proposals.
Hubbard became one of the U.S. citizens whose release Washington sought during diplomatic contacts with Moscow. However, the sides have not yet reported whether his release involves any reciprocal obligations.
The official results of the negotiations on Ukraine and possible further agreements between the U.S. and Russia had not been announced at the time of the report about the American’s release.
Based on materials from: The Moscow Times, Reuters
