Russia sentenced 72-year-old American Stephen Hubbard to almost seven years in prison for allegedly fighting as a mercenary in Ukraine’s conflict.
A Russian court sentenced 72-year-old American Stephen Hubbard to around seven years in prison on Monday for allegedly fighting as a mercenary in Ukraine.
Hubbard, from Michigan, was accused of signing a contract with the Ukrainian military after Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022 and participating in the fighting until his capture two months later.
He received a sentence of six years and 10 months in a general security prison despite prosecutors initially requesting seven years in a maximum-security facility.
Hubbard is the first US citizen convicted of fighting as a mercenary in the Ukrainian conflict. Although the charges could have carried a 15-year sentence, Russian news outlets reported that prosecutors considered his age and admission of guilt in their sentencing recommendation.
Moscow routinely treats all foreign fighters in Ukrainian units as mercenaries, despite foreign fighters joining volunteer battalions being incorporated as regular members of either the Ukrainian Army or the National Guard of Ukraine.
However, the Kremlin has insisted on allegations that foreign fighters in Ukraine are by and large mercenaries, often with far-right or criminal backgrounds, as part of its larger narrative depicting the government in Kyiv as nefarious or “Nazi,” allegations it never provided any evidence for.
Russians make up the largest number of foreign nationals fighting in the Ukrainian armed forces, while US citizens are believed to account for a minor fraction, with just 15 reported to be a part of the fighting prior to Moscow’s full-scale invasion in early 2022.
This case is part of a growing trend of American arrests in Russia, raising concerns that US nationals may be targeted as potential leverage for future prisoner swaps.
In a separate case on Monday, another US citizen, Robert Gilman, was sentenced to seven years and one month for assaulting law enforcement officers.
Gilman, who was already serving a sentence for a separate assault, allegedly attacked a prison inspector and an official during a cell check last year.
These cases follow a major US-Russia prisoner swap in August, the largest since the collapse of the Soviet Union, which involved 24 individuals and multiple countries. Regardless of the exchange, several US citizens remain incarcerated in Russia.
