Russian President Vladimir Putin said U.S. citizen Stephen Hubbard, who fought on Ukraine’s side and was convicted by a Russian court of mercenary activity, has been released. Putin made the announcement at the start of a meeting with U.S. presidential envoy Steve Witkoff.
Hubbard is already at Pulkovo Airport in St. Petersburg, Putin said.
Hubbard, who was 72 at the time, was sentenced in Russia in October 2024 to six years and 10 months in prison on mercenary charges. In the first days of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Hubbard joined the territorial defense in the Kharkiv region, where he had lived for many years, and in April 2022 he was captured by Russian forces.
The New York Times reported the day before that Witkoff would try to secure Hubbard’s release during his trip to Russia in order to “to show the benefits of deal-making” with Putin.
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