Stephen Hubbard, a retired teacher from Michigan, was sentenced to almost seven years in prison in 2024 on charges of fighting as a mercenary for Ukraine.
By Catholics for Catholics
Russia has released Stephen Hubbard, an American citizen who has been imprisoned during the last four years, President Donald Trump said Oct. 21.
A 74-year-old retired teacher, Hubbard was living in Ukraine in February 2022 when Russia invaded the country. He was detained and taken to Moscow, where he was sentenced to almost seven years after being convicted of fighting as a mercenary for Ukraine. He was labeled as wrongfully detained by the U.S. State Department in January 2025.
“Stephen is on his way back home and will soon be with his family,” Trump said on his social media platform Truth Social. “Welcome home Stephen, it’s great to have you back.”
U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff met with Russian President Vladimir Putin to secure the release.
Witkoff said Hubbard, a native of Michigan, had been freed during talks with Putin in St. Petersburg to parlay an end to the war in Ukraine.
“Our whole nation sends their thanks because of Stephen Hubbard—because of you, he’s going home to his family,” Witkoff told Putin during the meeting.
What’s “embarrassing and outrageous” is outlets like @CBSNews picking apart @SEPeaceMissions’s comments celebrating the release of Stephen Hubbard — an 74 year-old American man who was imprisoned in Russia for over four years. With the help of incredible patriots like Special Envoy Witkoff, President Trump has reunited over 110 detained Americans with their families. He also freed all of the hostages from Gaza and has brought both sides of the Russia-Ukraine War together to try to save lives. When your obsession with finding fault in the Trump administration’s actions outweighs your ability to celebrate Americans coming home, it might be time to reevaluate your priorities and leave the negotiating to the professionals. https://t.co/i1DiEQQRL3
— Anna Kelly (@AnnaKelly47) October 22, 2026
Meanwhile, Putin said that the former educator was already at Pulkovo Airport in the city, ready to leave Russia, Russian state news agency TASS reported.
When asked about the case of the teacher, Trump said he didn’t want to talk about it “but everybody has been after Hubbard for a long time, long before I got here.”
“And just remember that question for a couple of days from now, OK? Because I do things that nobody else can do,” he said, adding people should “watch what happens.”
