Hubbard tells when he believed he would be released from a Russian prison — The Guardian

Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old retired teacher from Michigan, who was released from a prison in Russia, an aggressor state, on October 21, said that until the very end he did not believe he would be freed. He spoke about this during a meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House, The Guardian reports.

He believed it only on the journey

According to Hubbard, he had previously repeatedly heard that he could be released, but did not trust those words. He began to believe that his release was real when he was given new clothes and led to the exit of the prison.

“Only when they started giving me new clothes and led me to the exit of the prison, I went outside, saw a car, and was escorted by two Russians, then I believed, finally believed, on the way from Moscow to St Petersburg: I was really going somewhere,” he said.

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Russian accusations

Hubbard spent more than four years behind bars. Russia accused him of fighting in Ukraine as a mercenary. His legal team denied these accusations and said that he had not taken part in military activity.

Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Trump previously said that he had asked Russian leader Vladimir Putin to release Hubbard. According to the US president, Washington did not have to release anyone in exchange for him. During the meeting in the Oval Office, Trump said that he wanted Hubbard to return.