Who is Russian-held US citizen Stephen Hubbard? - explainer

In January 2025, Washington designated Hubbard as wrongfully detained, enabling the US government to pursue negotiations for his release.

US special envoy Steve Witkoff is going to discuss the possible release of American citizen Stephen Hubbard from detention in Russia with Russian President Vladimir Putin this week, according to people familiar with the matter.

Here are details of Hubbard's case:

Hubbard, 74, a retired schoolteacher, grew up in Big Rapids, Michigan, and served in the US Air Force and National Guard, according to military records cited by The New York Times.

He earned a master’s degree in English and lived in Japan for 25 years, where he taught English before moving to Cyprus and then, in 2014, to Izyum in eastern Ukraine with a Ukrainian partner, according to his sister, Patricia Hubbard Fox.

Fox told Reuters in 2024 that Hubbard lived on a pension of about $300 a month and had few connections with locals. The siblings last spoke in September 2021.

How was Hubbard captured in 2022?

Russia launched its full-scale war in Ukraine in February 2022 and captured Izyum two months later. Ukrainian forces retook the city in September 2022, but Hubbard was already in Russian custody by then.

Russian state media said Hubbard had been detained in April 2022 and alleged he had been manning a Ukrainian military checkpoint. Reuters could not independently establish the circumstances of his capture.

Fox said she recognized her brother in a YouTube video showing a man being questioned about his views on Putin and the war. Another video showed him with his hands bound, being struck with a sandal. Reuters could not verify when or where the videos were recorded.

Why did Russians imprison Hubbard?

Following a closed trial, a Moscow court convicted Hubbard of being a mercenary in October 2024 and sentenced him to six years and 10 months in prison. Prosecutors said Hubbard had joined a Ukrainian territorial defense unit, received training, weapons and ammunition, and was promised $1,000 a month. Russian state media said he pleaded guilty to the charges.

Fox questioned the reported confession, however, saying Hubbard held pro-Russian views and was unlikely to have taken up arms in his seventies.

Martin De Luca, his US-based lawyer, told Reuters in June 2025 that Hubbard told him the charges were false and that he was not in any combat or military unit. He cited Hubbard as telling him Russian soldiers had simply grabbed him from his house.

What is Hubbard's current status?

In January 2025, Washington designated Hubbard as wrongfully detained, enabling the US government to pursue negotiations for his release.

The US State Department has said Russia refused to grant American officials consular access.

The NYT reported in February 2025 that Hubbard had been moved through at least five Russian detention centers before his trial.

His lawyer said Hubbard's legal team learned only in April 2025 that he was being held at a facility in the Mordovia region, east of Moscow.