Russia’s Alleged ‘Mercenary’ Was a 74-Year-Old Retired Teacher From Michigan

Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old retired teacher from Michigan, has been released by Russia, CNN reported.² His release came on Wednesday, Oct. 21, while US special envoy Steve Witkoff was meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg.³

Hubbard had been held since April 2022.⁴⁶ He was the last American in Russia designated by the US State Department as wrongfully detained, a label the Biden administration had given him.³⁴

During the meeting, Putin said Hubbard was at Pulkovo Airport in St. Petersburg. Witkoff had landed at the same airport earlier that day.² Some reports said Hubbard was waiting there for a flight home.

Witkoff thanked Putin for the release. According to CNN, he told the Russian leader:

“Because of you, he’s going home to his family.”

How he ended up in a Russian prison

Russian forces detained Hubbard in Izyum, in eastern Ukraine, in April 2022. After a closed trial in 2024, he was sentenced to nearly seven years in prison. Russian prosecutors said he had served as a mercenary in the Ukrainian army.⁴⁶

Hubbard denies the charges. His family and US officials have said they are false.³⁴

What Trump says, and what is still unclear

President Donald Trump said in a post on Truth Social that Hubbard was freed at his request, which he said he made to Putin directly by phone the previous week.¹ On Tuesday, Trump had told reporters he had spoken with Putin about Hubbard “at length” and asked him to release him.⁴

“Stephen is on his way back home and will soon be with his family,” Trump wrote.¹

Trump also wrote that the US was not required to give anything in return. “There was no “swap” necessary for this release,” the post said.¹⁵ That claim comes from Trump’s own post and has not been independently confirmed.

ABC News reported that the Trump administration was closing in on a broader deal that would free several Americans from Russian detention. ABC said it is unclear what Russia might receive.⁴

The release also arrives during wider talks between Washington and Moscow. Trump has lifted some sanctions on Russia, and the US is pressing Ukraine to agree to a deal to end the war.³⁶ NBC News described the release as a political win for Trump.³

The second American freed in two months

Hubbard is the second American Russia has released in about two months. In August, Robert Gilman was freed on humanitarian grounds because of concerns about his health.²⁵