Stephen Hubbard released by Russia following talks with US envoy

Stephen Hubbard has been taken to Pulkovo Airport, Putin said during talks with US envoy Steve Witkoff.

Oct 21, 2026, 11:14 UTC

An empty glass defendant cage inside an ornate Russian courtroom, shown in documentary photojournalism style. — REAL NEWS HUB

Russian authorities have released Stephen Hubbard, an elderly American citizen imprisoned for allegedly serving with Ukrainian forces, Russian state media reported.

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the move during discussions held in St Petersburg with United States envoy Steve Witkoff. According to Russian state media, Putin stated that Hubbard had been escorted to Pulkovo Airport.

US President Donald Trump confirmed the development on social media, announcing that the 74-year-old was heading home. Trump stated that the freedom of the American citizen did not involve any prisoner exchange, saying the release stemmed from a direct appeal he conveyed to Putin the preceding week. The US State Department had previously designated Hubbard as wrongfully detained, and Trump had hinted to reporters a day earlier that progress on the matter was close.

Hubbard, a native of Michigan and former educator, received a prison sentence of nearly seven years in 2024. Russian prosecutors claimed he joined a local defence formation in the eastern Ukrainian city of Izyum, where he was apprehended shortly after Russia began its large-scale invasion of Ukraine two years before his sentencing. Due to failing health, Hubbard is anticipated to travel to Texas to receive medical attention, according to CBS News.

State media accounts noted that Witkoff expressed gratitude to Putin for releasing Hubbard, as well as for an arrangement reached earlier in the month regarding Russian diesel imports to the US. Putin told the meeting that the initial cargo under that pact would depart Russia within two to three days.

The fuel agreement between Washington and Moscow had sparked anger from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, inaugurating a period of intense diplomatic friction. Over recent weeks, Trump paused several sanctions against Russia and suggested Ukraine should choose new leadership, while Kyiv alleged that Washington had paused critical intelligence sharing regarding Russian missile attacks. US officials dismissed that claim, and Zelensky stated on Tuesday that intelligence cooperation had resumed following positive talks with Witkoff in Oslo.

Footage broadcast by Russian television showed Witkoff commending the energy deal during the St Petersburg meeting, describing the loosening of diesel export controls as a significant step amid broader economic strains. Witkoff added that Trump appreciated the cooperation, presenting the arrangement as a model for future diplomacy.

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