Stephen James Hubbard, a 74-year-old retired American English teacher from Big Rapids, Michigan, was released by Russia on October 21, 2026.
BackgroundHubbard served in the U.S. Air Force and National Guard. He lived and taught English in Japan for about 25 years, later moved to Cyprus, and settled around 2014 in the eastern Ukrainian city of Izium (Izyum) with a Ukrainian partner. He lived on a small pension and did some online teaching. Detention and ChargesRussian forces detained him in April 2022 in Izium, shortly after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine (the city was occupied at the time). Russia accused him of acting as a mercenary: joining a Ukrainian territorial defense unit, receiving training/weapons/ammunition, manning a checkpoint, and being paid roughly $1,000 per month. He was held in multiple facilities, tried in a closed-door Moscow court, and sentenced in October 2024 to six years and 10 months under Russian Criminal Code Article 359. His family and U.S.-based lawyer have denied the charges, stating he was not in any combat or military unit. The U.S. State Department designated him as “wrongfully detained”—he was the only American in Russian custody with that designation at the time of his release. Russia restricted consular access for extended periods. The ReleaseRussian President Vladimir Putin announced the release during his meeting in St. Petersburg with U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff (the person referenced as “Steve Wifkoff” in the original X post). Putin stated that Hubbard was already at Pulkovo Airport and preparing to board a flight back to the United States.
Witkoff thanked Putin for the goodwill gesture. Reports indicated Hubbard had been in poor health and was expected to be flown to Texas for treatment. The day before, President Trump publicly confirmed he had raised Hubbard’s case with Putin and asked for his release, noting that efforts to free him predated his administration and teasing that developments were imminent. The release occurred as a goodwill measure tied to Witkoff’s ongoing shuttle diplomacy on Ukraine (his ninth in-person meeting with Putin), following talks in Oslo involving Ukrainian and European officials. Early reports noted no immediate independent U.S. confirmation beyond Russian state media and Putin’s statement, though the action aligned with prior U.S. requests. This was the latest in a series of American releases from Russian detention.
