MOSCOW, Russia: A Russian court has sentenced 72-year-old Stephen Hubbard, an American citizen, to nearly seven years in prison for allegedly fighting as a mercenary for Ukraine.
The court in Voronezh convicted Hubbard, who had been in custody since April 2022, of “participating as a mercenary in the armed conflict.” His trial was conducted largely behind closed doors, a decision made at the request of prosecutors, with details emerging only recently when the trial commenced in late September.
Prosecutors asserted that Hubbard had been compensated at least $1,000 a month to join a Ukrainian territorial defence unit, where he received training and participated in combat.
Media reports indicate that Hubbard had been living in the Ukrainian city of Izyum since 2014, prior to its capture by Russian forces and subsequent liberation by Ukrainian troops in September 2022.
A video surfaced in May 2022, featuring a disheveled man who identified himself as Stephen Hubbard, claiming his background and life in Ukraine .
In addition to Hubbard, another American citizen, Robert Gilman, received a seven-year and one-month sentence for assaults on prison staff while serving time for a previous conviction of attacking a police officer. These cases exemplify Russia’s broader trend of detaining Western citizens on various charges, particularly in the context of its ongoing conflict in Ukraine .
The increasing number of arrests of foreigners has drawn international scrutiny, especially against the backdrop of significant prisoner exchanges between the U.S. and Russia, raising concerns over the treatment of those held in Russian custody .
