Retired American Teacher Stephen Hubbard Freed From Russian Custody After Nearly Five Years

Release After Nearly Five Years in Detention

Stephen James Hubbard, a 74-year-old retired American teacher from Michigan, was released by Russia on Wednesday after spending nearly five years in detention. The jet carrying Hubbard landed at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas late Wednesday night.

Hubbard had been living in eastern Ukraine for years prior to Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022. He was detained two months into the conflict as Russian forces captured Izyum, where he had lived since 2014. In a closed-door trial in 2024, a Russian court convicted him of serving as a mercenary, alleging he joined a local territorial defense battalion. Hubbard's family, his lawyer, and other reports have strongly disputed the charges, with his son, Joseph Coleman, stating there was no evidence his father was a mercenary and describing him as a private individual caught in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Diplomatic Context and Return

The release coincided with a meeting in Russia between President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Witkoff thanked Putin for freeing Hubbard during on-camera talks and later met Hubbard in St. Petersburg before his departure. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated that Putin released Hubbard "on humanitarian grounds," though Moscow did not offer further specifics.

President Trump celebrated the return on social media, emphasizing that the release occurred without an immediate formal prisoner swap. However, analysts and experts, including former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine John Herbst, noted that the timing followed related geopolitical developments, pointing to the handling of a prominent Russian war blogger detained in Montenegro.

Practical Implications and Verification

Readers seeking to verify the details of this development can consult the original reporting by NBC News.

• Confirmed Facts: Stephen Hubbard, 74, was detained in Ukraine in 2022, convicted of mercenary charges in 2024, and released on Wednesday. He was flown to Texas, where video confirmed his arrival at Lackland Air Force Base.
• Disputed Elements: Russian authorities alleged Hubbard participated in combat operations for personal enrichment and pleaded guilty. Conversely, Hubbard's lawyer, Martin De Luca, and his son maintained that Hubbard denied the allegations and was not part of any combat unit.
• Unknowns: Moscow has not released comprehensive documentation behind the conviction or detailed the exact diplomatic mechanics of the humanitarian release beyond official statements from state media and U.S. representatives.