- Stephen Hubbard, a 72-year-old American, sentenced to nearly seven years in Russia for fighting with Ukraine
- Arrested two months after joining a Ukrainian defense unit; his family disputes the confession
- US demands consular access, but Russia has refused, limiting US knowledge of the case
After a closed-door trial, a Russian court sentenced a US citizen to six years and ten months in prison for fighting for Ukraine as a mercenary.
According to investigators, Stephen Hubbard, originally from Michigan, was paid $1,000 a month to serve in a Ukrainian territorial defence unit in the eastern city of Izyum, where he has been since 2014.
They claimed the 72-year-old signed up in February 2022, shortly before Russia launched its full-scale invasion, and was given training, guns, and ammo.
Hubbard was apprehended by the Russian military two months later.
Hubbard’s case became public late last month when his trial began, and he pleaded guilty. At a hearing last week, the court granted the prosecutor’s request to hold the hearings secretly, without the media.
According to Reuters and AFP journalists who were present, Hubbard, who was shackled, moved slowly into Moscow City Court and stood with difficulty as Judge Alexandra Kovalevskaya read the punishment.
According to Russia’s national news agency RIA, Hubbard’s lawyer intends to file an appeal.
According to US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller, Washington has limited information about the case since Russia declined to provide Hubbard consular access.
He confirmed Hubbard’s detention two years ago in Ukraine.
“We’re disappointed, as we often are when they refuse to grant consular access,” Miller told reporters in Washington. “They are obligated to provide it, and we will continue to demand it. We’re carefully reviewing the situation and deciding what to do next.
Ready to invest smarter? Secure your free Webull shares in the UK now
Hubbard’s sister Patricia Hubbard Fox and another relative have questioned his alleged confession, saying to Reuters that he espoused pro-Russian beliefs and was unlikely to have taken up arms at his age.
In interviews, Fox and the other cousin characterized Hubbard as a lonely figure who had become estranged from several family members while teaching English abroad for decades, particularly in Japan and Cyprus.
According to Fox, Hubbard travelled to Ukraine in 2014 and lived there with a Ukrainian woman while receiving a meagre monthly pension of roughly $300. He never learnt Russian or Ukrainian, she stated.
Hubbard is one of at least ten Americans imprisoned in Russia over two months after Moscow and the West exchanged prisoners, freeing three Americans, including Wall Street Journal writer Evan Gershkovich, and hundreds more.
Rwanda initiates vaccine study to stem the Marburg virus spread
