Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old retired US schoolteacher from Michigan who was held by Russia since 2022 on charges of fighting for Ukraine, has been released in what Russian President Vladimir Putin described as a goodwill gesture. Putin announced the release as he began his ninth round of talks with US envoy Steve Witkoff in St. Petersburg, focused on negotiating an end to the war in Ukraine. President Donald Trump confirmed Hubbard's release, saying he requested it in a phone call with Putin last week and that Washington gave nothing in return, though he separately announced a deal waiving sanctions on Russian diesel exports.
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Stephen Hubbard
Retired US schoolteacher held in Russia
US President Donald Trump announced the release of American schoolteacher Stephen Hubbard from Russian custody, asserting that the breakthrough came from a direct personal request to Vladimir Putin without any concessions from the United States. Hubbard, who had been held since 2022 and sentenced in 2024 on mercenary charges he denies, is returning to his family as Trump seizes on the development ahead of the midterm elections.
US citizen Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old retired teacher sentenced to nearly seven years in a Russian penal colony for alleged mercenary activity, has been freed. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the release during talks with US envoy Steve Witkoff in St. Petersburg on Wednesday, and President Donald Trump confirmed Hubbard was 'on his way back home,' stating no prisoner swap was required.