American Stephen Hubbard Freed After More Than 4 Years In Russian Custody

Russia has released 74-year-old US citizen Stephen Hubbard, who had been detained since 2022. Russian authorities sentenced him to nearly seven years in prison for allegedly acting as a mercenary in Ukraine, charges his family disputed. President Vladimir Putin announced Hubbard’s release during talks with US envoy Steve Witkoff in St. Petersburg on October 21 after President Donald Trump said he had raised the case directly with Putin.