Russia frees 74-year-old American Stephen Hubbard captured in occupied Ukraine

Russia has freed Stephen Hubbard, an American who had been imprisoned in Russia for more than four years on charges of fighting as a mercenary in Ukraine following a direct plea from US President Donald Trump, CNN reported.

Hubbard, a 74-year-old retired teacher, was captured in occupied eastern Ukraine during Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022 and accused of fighting for Kyiv in what his family and the State Department said were fabricated charges.

His release was announced as US special envoy Steve Witkoff met Russia’s President Vladimir Putin for talks aimed at advancing peace efforts in Ukraine. A US official told CNN that Hubbard was out of Russia and on his way back to the US.

Witkoff thanked Putin for Hubbard’s release, calling Russia’s president – who is subject to an International Criminal Court arrest warrant and has clamped down on opposition at home – a “humanitarian.”

A video shared with CNN showed Hubbard meeting Witkoff and Russian negotiator Kirill Dmitriev at the Pulkovo airport in St. Petersburg on Wednesday. Hubbard was seen in the video standing and walking on his own. His family previously expressed concerns over his health. Witkoff told Hubbard, who had spent years in Russian prison, that Putin “sends you blessings and wishes you good things.”

While Trump said the US was not required to give Russia anything in return, Hubbard’s release comes as the president faces accusations of cozying up to Moscow at the expense of Ukraine.

The Trump administration’s relationship with Kyiv has been strained in recent weeks, as Ukraine accused the US of limiting intelligence sharing on incoming Russian missiles, slowing down vital Starlink services and delaying weapon supplies.

Exacerbating Kyiv’s frustrations, Trump waived some sanctions against Russia last week – a move which drew bi-partisan criticism in the US.

Posting on social media on Wednesday, Trump said that “out of respect for President Trump” Russia didn’t require anything in return for Hubbard’s release. But in a separate post later, he said “if sanctions would have been placed, certainly those negotiations would have come to a complete and total halt.”