MOSCOW: A Russian court on Monday sentenced 72-year-old American citizen Stephen James Hubbard to six years and ten months in prison for allegedly serving as a mercenary in Ukraine.
The court also imposed a fine of over $3,000 on Hubbard, who is the first American to be convicted by a Russian court of participating in the war in Ukraine since the conflict began.
Hubbard, who has been in Russian custody since April 2022, was accused of accepting $1,000 per month to fight alongside a Ukrainian territorial defense force in the eastern city of Izyum. Russian prosecutors claimed he began serving as a mercenary in February 2022, shortly after the war erupted.
Hubbard pleaded guilty to the charges last week, but his family has raised concerns about the validity of his confession. His sister, speaking to Reuters, described Hubbard as a “pacifist” who had never even owned a gun.
The US State Department has yet to comment on Hubbard’s sentencing. He is among at least 10 American citizens currently imprisoned in Russia. Earlier this year, a high-profile prisoner exchange in August led to the release of three Americans, including Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich.
Since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, Russia has tightened its laws around foreign mercenaries, accusing many of fighting in Ukraine’s defense forces. Moscow views foreign nationals supporting Ukraine as mercenaries, while Ukraine and its allies consider such individuals as volunteers fighting against Russian aggression.
