Russia Frees American Stephen Hubbard After 4 Years

President Donald Trump described 74-year-old former school teacher Stephen Hubbard after Russia freed the American from more than four years behind bars. Hubbard, a Michigan native who had lived in Ukraine for years, was released on October 21, 2026, during a high-stakes visit to St. Petersburg by U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff, AP News reported.

Prison Sentence and Detention Under Scrutiny

Russian forces detained Hubbard in 2022 in eastern Ukraine. Prosecutors alleged he had signed a contract with the Ukrainian military following Russia’s invasion and fought alongside Kyiv’s forces for two months. In 2024, a closed trial in the Moscow City Court resulted in a nearly seven-year prison sentence on charges of fighting as a mercenary. His legal team and family firmly disputed those accusations.

He was just for bait. It was all about bait. And that’s why they kidnap Americans.

The U.S. government under President Joe Biden’s administration formally designated him as wrongfully detained. His defense was handled by lawyers at the U.S.-based firm Boies Schiller Flexner and the Russian firm EPAM Law.

Diplomatic Dealings in St. Petersburg

The release coincided with a meeting in St. Petersburg at the ornate Constantine Palace between U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The discussions focused on ending the war in Ukraine as the U.S. pushes both Kyiv and Moscow toward a negotiated settlement. During their interaction, Witkoff thanked Putin for the release and offered striking praise to the Russian leader. “You talk so much about my president, President Trump, being a humanitarian. You are a humanitarian also, sir,” Witkoff told Putin.

That praise immediately sparked sharp international backlash. Oleksandr Merezhko, who chairs the foreign affairs committee in Ukraine’s parliament, told NPR that comparing Putin to a humanitarian while Russia wages a devastating war is a total disgrace to American diplomacy.

Contrasting Claims Over Exchanges and Sanctions

President Trump insisted that the U.S. gave nothing in exchange for Hubbard’s freedom and that no prisoner swap was necessary. In posts on Truth Social and statements on the White House South Lawn, Trump asserted that Putin agreed to the release at his request out of respect. However, Trump also linked the timing directly to economic pressure, noting that the release occurred after his administration waived some sanctions against Moscow.

Trump tied the diplomatic opening to the suspension of new sanctions that had been scheduled to take effect, arguing that proceeding with those penalties would have derailed the negotiations for Hubbard’s freedom. Putin aide Yuri Ushakov confirmed that the Russian leader agreed to restart three-way peace negotiations with the U.S. and Ukraine, and Hubbard was subsequently taken to Pulkovo Airport in St. Petersburg.

Next Steps in U.S. and Russian Relations

Following his release, Hubbard was placed on a flight accompanied by U.S. officials and was expected to travel to Texas for treatment at a military hospital. Concurrently, the diplomatic talks in St. Petersburg produced movement on economic and regional fronts. Putin announced during the meetings with Witkoff that the first tankers carrying 60,000 tons of Russian diesel fuel would depart for the United States within the next “2 or 3 days” following the recent waiver of select sanctions—a move that similarly drew criticism from European allies and Ukrainian officials.

Ushakov added that Moscow and Washington agreed to restart three-way peace negotiations involving the U.S. and Ukraine, with those talks slated to begin in mid-November.

More on this story: Vladimir Putin Announces Release of American Stephen Hubbard

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