MOSCOW — Russia has freed an American imprisoned in Russia since 2022 on charges of fighting as a mercenary in Ukraine, with US President Donald Trump saying he is “on his way back home.”
Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old retired teacher from Michigan, was designated by the US State Department as wrongfully detained.
“Stephen is on his way back home and will soon be with his family,” Trump said in a post on social media, adding that the decision came after a request he made during a phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin last week.
Trump said the US did not have to give Russia anything in return, “out of respect for President Trump.” But he added that if he had not waived sanctions on Russia last week, a move which drew bipartisan criticism, “certainly those negotiations would have come to a complete and total halt.”
Hubbard’s son Joseph Coleman thanked Trump and other US officials for securing his father’s release.
“Never once did we waver as we prayed for success in these negotiations, and we must acknowledge that this humanitarian move by President Putin in this matter is deeply appreciated,” he said.
Witkoff also personally thanked Putin for Hubbard’s release, saying “I want to thank you very much, the president sends his thanks … the whole nation sends their thanks because of Stephen Hubbard. Because of you, he’s going home to his family.”
Putin said during the meeting that Hubbard was at Pulkovo airport in St. Petersburg, the same airport that Witkoff landed at earlier on Wednesday. He made the decision to release Hubbard “for humanitarian reasons,” Russian state media reported.
Hubbard spent decades abroad as an English teacher. He moved to the eastern Ukrainian city of Izyum in 2014, which was occupied by Russian forces at the start of its war against Ukraine in 2022.
According to Russian state media, Russian prosecutors alleged that Hubbard fought in Izyum for the Ukrainian military after signing a contract for about $1,000 per month. His sister, Patricia Hubbard Fox, said that the accusation was a lie.
Hubbard is the latest American to be freed from Russian detention.
In August, Robert Gilman was released from Russian detention for humanitarian reasons amid severe concerns about his health. The Marine veteran was severely emaciated when he arrived back in the US on a specialized medical plane. The organization advocating on his behalf said Gilman had been tortured in Russian detention.
Hubbard’s release on Wednesday came at a tense time in the negotiations to end the war in Ukraine. The Trump administration’s relationship with Ukraine has been strained in recent weeks, as Kyiv accused Ukraine of limiting intelligence sharing on incoming Russian missiles, slowing down vital Starlink services and delaying weapon supplies.
Witkoff came to Moscow straight after a summit with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Norway, where the two attempted to reset the relationship, with the help of Finnish President Alexander Stubb, and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.
Source: Saudi Gazette