ST. PETERSBURG – Russia has freed Stephen Hubbard, a retired American teacher imprisoned on allegations that he fought as a mercenary in Ukraine, U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff said Wednesday during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg.
The release comes as President Donald Trump has pursued a series of measures viewed as favorable to Moscow.
Hubbard, a Michigan resident, was sentenced in a closed 2024 trial to nearly seven years in prison. Russian prosecutors said he signed a contract with Ukraine’s military after Russia invaded in February 2022, fought alongside Ukrainian forces and was captured two months later.
The Biden administration had classified Hubbard as wrongfully detained by Russia.
Witkoff expressed gratitude to Putin for the release, telling him, “Because of you, he’s going home to his family.” Putin replied that Hubbard had been taken to Pulkovo Airport in St. Petersburg after his release.
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Witkoff has been working unsuccessfully to bring Russia and Ukraine closer to a settlement as the war approaches its five-year mark in February. Trump had hinted earlier in the week that Hubbard could be freed, telling reporters at the White House: “I’ve been talking to President Putin about Mr. Hubbard. I’ve been talking to him at length. I’ve asked him to release him. Let’s see what happens.”
Hubbard’s release comes during a shifting period in U.S. relations with Ukraine and Russia. Tensions between Washington and Kyiv have grown over drone support, while the Trump administration has advanced policies seen as benefiting Putin.
On Friday, Trump waived sanctions against Russia that were included in a bill Congress approved overwhelmingly to support Ukraine. The legislation, named for the late South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, sought to restrict the flow of financial resources supporting Russia’s war effort.
The decision came after Trump announced an agreement to import Russian diesel fuel in an unlikely effort to lower gasoline prices before next month’s U.S. midterm elections.
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