Russia frees American Stephen Hubbard after Trump request

Russia freed US citizen Stephen Hubbard on October 21, 2026, with President Vladimir Putin announcing his release during US envoy Steve Witkoff’s visit to St Petersburg. Putin said he had acted following a request from President Donald Trump and that Hubbard was at the city’s Pulkovo Airport awaiting departure.¹⁴⁵

Departure after years in custody

The Associated Press and the Guardian said Hubbard had been detained by Russia for over four years. Trump said the United States had provided nothing in exchange for his freedom and that a prisoner swap had not been needed. He also said he had raised Hubbard’s case directly with Putin.¹²⁴

Witkoff thanked Putin for the release and said Hubbard would return to his family. According to Interfax, Hubbard was greeted at Pulkovo Airport following his release by Witkoff and Kirill Dmitriev, a representative of the Russian president. The outlet also reported Trump saying that Hubbard was travelling home.⁴⁶

Hubbard’s son, Joseph Coleman, said the family had feared for his father’s welfare throughout his detention. “We have been gravely concerned for his safety and health since his 2022 detention,” Coleman said, according to NPR. He thanked both Trump and Putin for obtaining his father’s release.¹

The case against Hubbard

Russian forces detained Hubbard in eastern Ukraine in 2022, NPR reported. Reuters placed his arrest in Izyum. According to the BBC, prosecutors accused him of belonging to a defence unit there when Russian troops captured him. Reuters reported conflicting accounts about whether he had fought for Ukraine.¹³⁵

NPR reported that a closed trial in 2024 ended with a sentence of nearly seven years on allegations that Hubbard had served as a mercenary in Ukraine’s army. The BBC said he was 72 at sentencing and was ordered to serve his term in a penal colony. The US State Department classified him as wrongfully detained.¹³

Release alongside Ukraine talks

The announcement came alongside talks between Putin and Witkoff about ending the war in Ukraine. According to the Guardian, Witkoff brought documents setting out ideas for a peace agreement and said the diplomatic effort had gained some momentum. Before travelling to Russia, he had met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders in Oslo.¹²

Witkoff described Putin as a humanitarian during their meeting. That description drew criticism from Oleksandr Merezhko, the chair of the Ukrainian parliament’s foreign affairs committee, NPR reported. Merezhko called it “a total disgrace for America, American diplomacy and even for President Trump.”¹²