Russia sentences 72-year-old American to 6 years in prison for fighting for Ukraine
A Russian court has sentenced 72-year-old American Stephen Hubbard to nearly seven years in prison for allegedly fighting as a mercenary in Ukraine.
The closed trial on October 7 concluded that Hubbard signed a contract with the Ukrainian military after Russia invaded in February 2022 and fought alongside Ukrainian forces until his capture two months later.
The Moscow City Court handed down a sentence of six years and 10 months in a general-security prison, just shy of the seven years requested by prosecutors for a maximum-security facility.
"[The court ruled] to sentence Hubbard to six years and 10 months imprisonment in a general regime colony," the verdict read.
“Yes, I agree with the charges,” Hubbard said during his September plea hearing at the Moscow City Court.
Hubbard was also detained by Russian Forces in April 2022.
According to Russian State Media TASS, the court also ordered the confiscation of 142,000 hryvnias (about $3,400) from Hubbard to be paid to the Russian state.
Hubbard, originally from Michigan, moved to Ukraine in 2014 with his wife. He later joined the Ukrainian armed forces, influenced by Ukrainian media, but claimed he didn’t fully grasp the situation.
Investigators said Hubbard received $1,000 a month for his service in a Ukrainian territorial defence unit in Izyum, where he had been residing since 2014.
His sister, Trisha Hubbard Fox, cast doubt on his confession, asserting he was never a mercenary and had never owned a firearm.
"He is so non-military," she told Reuters. "He never had a gun, owned a gun, done any of that...He's more of a pacifist."
