Russia Releases American Stephen Hubbard After Witkoff Visit

Russia has released Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old American who spent more than four years in Russian custody over allegations that he fought alongside Ukrainian forces. The release followed a visit to Russia by US special envoy Steve Witkoff, who met Russian President Vladimir Putin as Washington continued efforts to secure the freedom of Americans detained in the country. Hubbard, a retired teacher originally from Michigan, was sentenced in 2024 to nearly seven years in a penal colony.

Russian prosecutors alleged that he served in a defense unit in Izyum, an eastern Ukrainian city where Russian forces captured him after the invasion of Ukraine began in 2022, according to reports from CNN and BBC. Russian state media reported that Putin confirmed Russia had agreed to release Hubbard. During his meeting with Witkoff, Putin said Hubbard was at Pulkovo airport in St.

Petersburg, where the US envoy had also arrived earlier that day.

US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he had discussed Hubbard's case with Putin. Witkoff subsequently thanked the Russian president for the release, CNN reported.

Before Witkoff's trip, a US official said the envoy's visit was expected to include efforts to secure Hubbard's release, reflecting the administration's stated commitment to bringing detained Americans home. The US State Department had designated Hubbard as wrongfully detained. According to Russian state media, prosecutors alleged that Hubbard had signed a contract to fight in Ukraine for approximately $1,000 per month. His sister, Patricia Hubbard Fox, rejected the accusation as false, CNN reported.

Hubbard spent decades working abroad as an English teacher before moving to Izyum in 2014. Russian forces occupied the city after launching their full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, according to the reports. His release follows another case involving an American held in Russia.

In August, Robert Gilman, a former Marine, was released on humanitarian grounds amid serious concerns about his health. He returned to the United States on a specialized medical aircraft, and an organization advocating for him said he had been tortured in detention, according to CNN.

Several other Americans remain imprisoned in Russia, according to the Foley Foundation, which advocates for hostages and people wrongfully detained abroad. Andre Khachatoorian, an American of Armenian descent, was arrested in 2021 while traveling through Moscow en route from the United States to Armenia and received an eight-and-a-half-year sentence for arms trafficking, charges he denies. David Barnes was arrested in 2022 after allegations made by his former wife, who took their sons from Texas to Russia.

According to the Foley Foundation, Texas officials had twice previously determined that the abuse allegations were unfounded. Aleksander Antonov, a naturalized US citizen who arrived in America as a Soviet refugee, was arrested in 2025 while attempting to cross from Russia into Estonia. The Foley Foundation said he was accused of anti-Russian sentiment and sentenced to six years for inciting terrorism and extremism.

Olga Jezler, a permanent US resident, was arrested on drug trafficking charges and sentenced to 10 years in prison in 2022. According to the Foley Foundation, she had brought legally obtained CBD oil into Russia for her sister, who was being treated for breast cancer, but Russian prosecutors classified the substance as hashish oil.

Chuck Zimmerman, described by supporters as a Navy veteran, was intercepted by the Russian navy while sailing in international waters. He was charged with arms trafficking because he had a firearm aboard his vessel, CNN reported. After Gilman's release, a US State Department spokesperson expressed hope that the case would lead to the freedom of other Americans held unjustly in Russia. CNN said it had requested comment from the department regarding Hubbard's release.