American citizen Stephen Hubbard released from Russian prison

Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old American citizen and former English teacher from Michigan, has been released from Russian custody following a request from Donald Trump. Hubbard had been detained for four and a half years after being captured in Izyum, Ukraine, in April 2022. He was accused of fighting as a mercenary on behalf of Ukraine, a charge he denied, but was subsequently sentenced to six years and ten months in prison. The United States government officially classified his detention as unjust.

Since his release, Hubbard and former fellow prisoners have described horrific conditions during his incarceration. Reports indicate he was subjected to systematic physical abuse, including beatings, torture by electric shock, and sexual humiliation, while also suffering from a lack of food and adequate medical care. Journalist Dmytro Khilyuk, who was imprisoned with Hubbard in the Novozybkov facility in September 2022, corroborated accounts of persistent threats and degradation by guards. The testimony highlights the severe treatment Hubbard endured throughout his lengthy period of captivity.