Stephen Hubbard, a U.S. citizen accused of fighting as a mercenary in Ukraine against Russia, in the Moscow City Court on Oct. 7, 2024. Moscow City Court Press Service via AP
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 on Wednesday at a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Witkoff revealed Stephen Hubbard, a native of Michigan, had been freed during talks with Putin in St. Petersburg to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine.
“Our whole nation sends their thanks because of Stephen Hubbard—because of you, he’s going home to his family,” Witkoff told Putin during the meeting.
Putin said that the former educator was already at Pulkovo Airport in the city, ready to depart Russia, Russian state news agency TASS reported.
Witkoff thanked Putin for releasing the 74-year-old and confirmed he planned to meet with him at the airport.
Hubbard’s release comes after U.S. President Donald Trump said he had asked his counterpart in Moscow to set him free while speaking with reporters in the Oval Office on Oct. 20.
Asked about the case of the teacher, Trump said he didn’t want to talk about it “but everybody has been after Hubbard for a long time, long before I got here.”
“And just remember that question for a couple of days from now, OK? Because I do things that nobody else can do,” he said, adding people should “watch what happens.”
Hubbard was sentenced to nearly seven years in prison by Russian authorities in 2024, after being convicted of fighting as a mercenary in Ukraine.
He was alleged to have fought alongside Kyiv’s forces for two months before he was captured by Russian troops.
Investigators said he was paid $1,000 per month to serve in a Ukrainian territorial defense unit in the eastern city of Izyum, where he had been living since 2014.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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