A 72-year-old American, Stephen James Hubbard, has been sentenced by a Russian court to six years and 10 months in prison after being convicted, in a closed trial, of fighting as a mercenary for Ukraine.
Prosecutors claimed Hubbard, originally from Michigan, was paid $1,000 a month to serve in a Ukrainian territorial defense unit in Izyum, where he had resided since 2014. He allegedly joined in February 2022, coinciding with Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine, and was detained by Russian forces on April 2, 2022.
Russian media reported that Hubbard had pleaded guilty, though his family expressed skepticism. His sister, Patricia Hubbard Fox, and another relative told Reuters that Hubbard held pro-Russian views and questioned his ability to fight at his age.
In court on Monday, Hubbard, wearing handcuffs, appeared in a glass cage, listening to the guilty verdict without visible emotion. His lawyer, who plans to appeal the decision, declined to comment further.
The U.S. embassy in Moscow acknowledged the detention but offered no additional details. Hubbard’s family described him as a reclusive figure who had lived abroad for years, teaching English in countries like Japan and Cyprus, and later moving to Ukraine in 2014, where he lived off a modest pension.
Hubbard is one of at least 10 Americans currently imprisoned in Russia. His sentencing comes nearly two months after a prisoner exchange between Moscow and the West freed several Americans.
In a separate case, another U.S. citizen, former Marine Robert Gilman, was sentenced on Monday to seven years and one month in prison for assaulting Russian officials while serving time for a prior conviction.
