Putin Frees US Citizen Held Since 2022
Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced the release of US citizen Stephen Hubbard, who had been detained in Russia since 2022. Putin said the 74-year-old had been freed from prison and was at Pulkovo Airport in Saint Petersburg.
Putin made the announcement during his latest meeting with US special envoy Steve Witkoff in Saint Petersburg on Wednesday, 21 October, according to Reuters and AFP. Russian state media reported that Witkoff had thanked Putin for Hubbard’s release.
In a statement released by the Kremlin, Putin gave no further details about Hubbard’s release.
Hubbard is described as a retired teacher from Michigan. Russian forces captured him in the city of Izyum in April 2022, after being deployed as part of the invasion of Ukraine.
Russian prosecutors accused Hubbard of having served at a Ukrainian military checkpoint.
He had been serving a prison sentence of nearly seven years in Russia after being found guilty of mercenary activity in a closed trial. Russian state media said Hubbard had pleaded guilty to the charges.
However, his US-based lawyer, Martin De Luca, told Reuters that Hubbard had told him the allegations were untrue and that he had not taken part in fighting or belonged to any military unit.
At the time of his release, Hubbard was the only US prisoner in Russia whom Washington had designated as ‘wrongfully detained’.
The announcement came as Witkoff held face-to-face talks with Putin at Constantine Palace in Saint Petersburg, the Russian leader’s home city.
The meeting was intended to review new ideas for ending the protracted war in Ukraine, which began with Russia’s 2022 invasion.
The talks took place amid concern in Kyiv and among its allies that the US was beginning to withdraw its support for Ukraine. Washington was reported to have withheld real-time intelligence on Russian attacks and restricted Ukraine’s military communications.
Russia’s release of the US citizen was seen as a goodwill gesture by Putin during the meeting.
The meeting in Saint Petersburg was the ninth face-to-face encounter between Putin and Witkoff. The previous day, Witkoff held talks in Oslo with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and the leaders of Finland and Norway, as well as representatives from Europe and NATO. Witkoff described the Oslo discussions as ‘productive’.