Trump secures release of US citizen Stephen Hubbard from Russian prison

Stephen Hubbard, 74, a retired teacher and American citizen who has served 4 years in a Russian prison, is going home.

Hubbard was imprisoned on charges of fighting for Ukraine as a mercenary, and convicted in Oct 2024 with a sentence of close to 7 years. In January 2025, the US government designated his capture as wrongful, which allowed government officials to begin release negotiations.

Hubbard made his way home with via US envoy Steve Witkoff, who was in St. Petersburg for a meeting with Vladimir Putin. Witkoff is at the start of talks with the Kremlin on trade between the two countries in an attempt to end the Ukrainian war.

“I wanted to thank you very much. The president sends his thanks. Our whole nation sends it’s thanks” Witkoff said to Putin, according to the New York Post, adding, “Because of you, he is going home to his family." Witkoff referred to Putin as “a humanitarian.”

President Trump made the request directly to President Putin on the phone, according to Fox News. Trump posted on Truth Social that the US is “not required to give anything in return - an unprecedented situation for Russia,” adding, “Welcome home Stephen, it’s great to have you back.”

In another Truth Social post, President Trump stated, “Numerous people, who requested that sanctions be immediately imposed on Russia, have called to apologize to President Trump in that they didn’t know that he was negotiating the release of Stephen Hubbard,” adding,”If sanctions would have been placed, certainly those negotiations would have come to a complete and total halt.”

Hubbard, from Michigan, served in both the US Air Force and National Guard. He had been living in Izyum, Ukraine since 2014 when he was taken into Russian custody in April 2022. He had been accused of signing up to be a mercenary, for $1,000 per month, with a Ukrainian territorial defense unit. His family has denied these accusations due to his age and pro-Russian sentiments. His sister, Patricia Hubbard, said last month, “He is so non-military,” adding, “He never had a gun, owned a gun, done any of that…He’s more of a pacifist.”

He will fly from St. Petersburg to Texas to receive treatment at a military hospital, as he is in poor health after his long imprisonment.