Russia frees US citizen Stephen Hubbard, jailed over allegations of fighting for Ukraine

Russia has agreed to release American citizen Stephen Hubbard, who was serving a prison sentence over allegations that he fought on behalf of Ukraine, state media have reported.

President Vladimir Putin said Russia had agreed to free the American citizen. Putin made the remarks during talks with US envoy Steve Witkoff in St Petersburg.

Putin said Stephen Hubbard had been taken to Pulkovo Airport. His remarks indicated that Hubbard was taken to the airport as part of the release process.

Hubbard is originally from Michigan. He was 72 years old when he was sentenced in 2024 to almost seven years in a penal colony.

According to prosecutors, he was serving in a defence unit based in the eastern city of Izyum. The allegations said he had been captured by Russian forces two years earlier.

The cases of foreign citizens detained in Russia in connection with the Ukraine war have long been a subject of international discussion. News of Hubbard's release takes on fresh significance in that context.

The release announcement came during Putin's talks with US envoy Steve Witkoff. The matter is therefore also linked to diplomatic contact between the two countries.

However, the published information gave no details on whether any conditions were attached to the release, or on when Hubbard would return to the United States.

Given Hubbard's age and the length of his sentence, his case had drawn attention from the start. Instead of serving almost seven years, he is now on the path to freedom — the biggest turn in this story.

At the time this report was published, the story was still developing and further details were awaited. The picture will become fuller as new information emerges.

For now, the confirmed facts are these — Putin himself spoke of agreeing to the release, Hubbard was taken to Pulkovo Airport, and state media reported the matter. Attention will now turn to the process of his return home.