Russia releases American Stephen Hubbard after more than four years in prison — CBS News

Russia, an aggressor state, has released U.S. citizen Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old retired teacher who had spent more than four years in Russian detention after being detained in Ukraine. The release was announced on October 21 during a meeting between U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Russian President Vladimir Putin, CBS News reports.

U.S. President Donald Trump said that Putin agreed to release Hubbard at his request and that no exchange was needed. At the same time, Trump said that his decision not to impose new sanctions on Russia influenced the release.

A conversation before the flight

The released man's son, Joseph Coleman, a priest of the Greek Orthodox Church, said that he spoke with his father by phone for about one minute before his departure from St. Petersburg. According to Coleman, Hubbard sounded better than during their last conversation in May 2025. Witkoff was present during the call, leaving almost no opportunity for private communication.

Coleman said that during their previous conversation, his father had expressed extreme exhaustion with life in prison. In his assessment, this could have hinted at suicidal thoughts, although he did not describe it that way directly. The son planned to personally assess his father's health after meeting him and give him time to adapt to freedom.

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The charges were denied

Hubbard was detained in Ukraine shortly after the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022. The Russian side accused him of taking part in combat on Ukraine's side and manning a checkpoint for mercenaries. Following a closed trial, he was sentenced to nearly seven years in a penal colony. The U.S. government considered Hubbard to have been wrongfully detained.

The American's family consistently denied the charges against him. Attorney Martin De Luca said that the defense team found no evidence that Hubbard had served in Ukrainian military structures and did not believe that he was physically capable of performing such duties at around 70 years of age. According to the attorney, the materials in the Russian case were mostly classified.

De Luca also said that when his team took on the case in February 2025, neither the family nor the U.S. Embassy knew Hubbard's exact place of detention. Later, lawyers in Russia established his whereabouts, arranged legal visits, transferred money for food and essential items, and helped arrange a brief conversation with his son.