Politics
Michigan man Stephen Hubbard freed from Russian prison as Putin meets Trump envoy
Russia says it has released Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old Michigan resident imprisoned after being convicted of serving as a mercenary in Ukraine. The announcement came during talks between Vladimir Putin and U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, after Donald Trump said he had asked for Hubbard’s release.
Russia has released Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old U.S. citizen from Michigan who had been serving a prison sentence after a Russian court convicted him of fighting for Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday.
Putin announced the release as he met with White House envoy Steve Witkoff in St. Petersburg for talks focused on U.S. efforts to end Russia’s war in Ukraine. Hubbard was already at the city’s Pulkovo Airport, Putin said.
President Donald Trump had said before the talks that he asked Putin to free Hubbard. The U.S. government had formally designated Hubbard as wrongfully detained during the Biden administration.
Russian forces detained Hubbard in eastern Ukraine in 2022. A Russian court sentenced him to nearly seven years in prison in 2024 after a closed trial, finding that he served as a mercenary in the Ukrainian army.
Hubbard’s release comes amid a broader shift in U.S. policy toward Moscow under Trump. His administration has eased some sanctions on Russia while Trump has publicly criticized Ukraine as the United States seeks to negotiate an end to the war.
The circumstances and terms of Hubbard’s release were not detailed in the announcement.