The key facts
- Stephen Hubbard's son, priest Father Joseph, thanked Putin and Trump for his father's release
- The release became known on October 21 during Putin-Witkoff talks in St. Petersburg
- Hubbard was sentenced in October 2024 to six years and ten months in a penal colony for mercenarism
Gratitude from the son of the freed American
The son of US citizen Stephen Hubbard, who was released in Russia — Orthodox priest Father Joseph — sent a letter in which he thanked Presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump for his father's return to freedom. According to Life.ru, RIA Novosti has reviewed the document. 'I am grateful to President Trump and his administration for the efforts made on behalf of my father, as well as to President Putin for this act of humanity,' the appeal reads. The letter from Father Joseph Coleman, who represents the Metropolis of Namasia and Orinis of the Church of Cyprus, was released by the law firm EPAM.
Circumstances of the release
Hubbard's release became known on October 21 during talks between Vladimir Putin and the US president's special envoy Steve Witkoff in St. Petersburg. The Russian leader said that the US citizen was already at Pulkovo Airport. Witkoff, in turn, expressed appreciation for the release. According to Life.ru, Witkoff had earlier thanked Putin for freeing Hubbard, and Donald Trump personally approached the Russian president with the corresponding request.
The Hubbard case
Hubbard is a 73-year-old native of the state of Michigan who had lived in Ukraine since 2014. According to the Russian investigation, in February 2022 he signed a contract with a territorial defense unit in Izium and took part in combat operations for monetary compensation. In October 2024, the Moscow City Court found the American guilty of mercenarism and sentenced him to six years and ten months in a general-regime penal colony. At the same time, US authorities had previously considered his detention unlawful. Trump also stated that the US had not given anyone to Russia in exchange for Hubbard's release.
Significance of the episode
This episode shows that Hubbard's release was the result of Trump's direct personal appeal to Putin and took place against the backdrop of an ongoing dialogue between Moscow and Washington — as evidenced by the very fact of the Putin-Witkoff talks in St. Petersburg. For the families of detainees and for diplomatic contacts between the two countries, it is a practical example of how such appeals can end in a release without an exchange, as Trump stated. At the same time, the parties' positions on the legality of Hubbard's sentence remain different: US authorities considered the detention unlawful, whereas a Russian court handed down a guilty verdict.
