Stephen Hubbard, a retired American schoolteacher, has been released from Russian custody after more than four years in detention, US envoy Steve Witkoff said on October 21, 2026, during a meeting with President Vladimir Putin in St Petersburg, according to CBS News and NBC News.
Who is Stephen Hubbard
Hubbard, born in February 1952 in Big Rapids, Michigan, is a US Air Force and National Guard veteran who worked as an English teacher for about 25 years in Japan before moving to Cyprus and later to Izium, Ukraine, where he lived with a Ukrainian partner, according to Wikipedia's summary of his case.
How he came to be imprisoned
Hubbard was detained by Russian forces in April 2022, about two months after Russia's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, according to Wikipedia and Fox News. Russian prosecutors said he had signed a contract with the Ukrainian military and fought alongside Ukrainian forces until his capture, Fox News reported.
On October 7, 2024, a Moscow court convicted Hubbard under Article 359 of the Russian Criminal Code, the mercenary-activity statute, and sentenced him to six years and ten months in a penal colony, according to Wikipedia; Fox News and NBC News reported the sentence as nearly seven years. Hubbard denied the mercenary charges, NBC News reported.
In January 2025 the US State Department designated Hubbard as wrongfully detained, making him, according to CBS News, the last American held in Russia under that formal designation.
The release
Witkoff confirmed Hubbard's freedom while sitting alongside Putin, telling the Russian president, "Because of you, he's going home to his family," CBS News reported. Russian state media said Hubbard was taken to Pulkovo Airport in St Petersburg. CBS News reported that he was expected to be flown to a military hospital in Texas because of his poor health.
President Trump said he had spoken with Putin at length about Hubbard and had personally asked him to release him, according to Fox News.
Wider diplomatic context
The release came as Witkoff was in Russia for broader talks on the war in Ukraine. NBC News reported that Witkoff told Putin "groundwork" had been laid for ending the conflict and that he brought documents outlining possible approaches to a deal. Before traveling to St Petersburg, Witkoff had met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders in Oslo; Secretary of State Marco Rubio described those talks as "positive" but said "nothing unexpected" had emerged, NBC News reported.
CBS News reported that Hubbard's release came two days after the Trump administration waived sanctions on Russia, a decision that NBC News said drew criticism.
What remains unresolved
CBS News reported that as many as ten other Americans remain in Russian custody.
Timeline of the Hubbard case| Date | Event |
|---|
| February 2022 | Russia invades Ukraine |
|---|
| April 2022 | Hubbard detained by Russian forces in occupied Izium |
|---|
| October 7, 2024 | Moscow court sentences him to 6 years, 10 months |
|---|
| January 2025 | US State Department designates him wrongfully detained |
|---|
| October 21, 2026 | Witkoff confirms his release during meeting with Putin |
|---|
This piece was prepared with artificial intelligence and passed an automated source check before publication. If you see an error, ask for a correction. Request a correction or reply · How we make this
