American Citizen Sentenced in Russia for Mercenary Activities
October 1, 2023
A Russian court has sentenced a 72-year-old American citizen to almost seven years in jail for allegedly fighting as a mercenary for Ukraine.
Prosecutors stated that Stephen James Hubbard was serving in a defense unit based in the eastern city of Izyum when he was captured by Russian forces in April 2022, shortly after Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Hubbard “systematically received material compensation” for his participation in the war on the Ukrainian side, according to a statement from the Russian Prosecutor General’s office.
He has been sentenced to 6 years and 10 months imprisonment in a penal colony.
Hubbard, a native of Michigan, pleaded guilty to the charges last week, as reported by Russian state media.
However, his sister Patricia Fox expressed skepticism, telling Reuters that Hubbard held pro-Russian views and was unlikely to have taken up arms at his age. “He is so non-military,” she remarked, emphasizing that her brother “never had a gun, owned a gun, done any of that… He’s more of a pacifist.”
According to Ms. Fox, Hubbard had moved to Ukraine in 2014 and lived there for a time with a woman, surviving off a small pension. Despite their split, he continued living in Ukraine.
Although Hubbard was detained by Russian forces in early 2022, his case only gained public attention when his trial began in Moscow in September.
In a video shared by Russian authorities, Hubbard can be seen walking with difficulty inside the defendants’ glass box in the courtroom during his sentencing on Monday.
The eastern Ukrainian city of Izyum, where Hubbard was detained, was captured by Russia shortly after its invasion of Ukraine but was later liberated by Ukrainian troops in the autumn of 2022.
In a separate case, Robert Gilman, an ex-US marine already serving time in Russia for an assault conviction, was handed a sentence of seven years and one month for assaulting a prison officer.
Currently, at least 10 US nationals remain incarcerated in Russia. A number of Americans were released in a prisoner swap between Moscow and the West in August of this year.