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Russia releases US citizen Stephen Hubbard in prisoner exchange as Trump administration engages Putin

Confirmed1 source · Oct 21, 2026

A 74-year-old American convicted of fighting for Ukraine has been freed and transferred to an airport during talks between Trump's envoy and Russian President Putin.

Russia releases US citizen Stephen Hubbard in prisoner exchange as Trump administration engages Putin
Image via BBC News

What happened

President Vladimir Putin announced that Russia has released Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old former teacher from Michigan who was sentenced to nearly seven years in prison in 2024 on charges of serving in a Ukrainian defense unit in Izyum. Hubbard was captured by Russian forces shortly after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began two years ago. During Wednesday talks in St. Petersburg between Putin and US envoy Steve Witkoff, Hubbard was transported to Pulkovo Airport. The US State Department had previously classified Hubbard as "wrongfully detained," and President Donald Trump stated he had raised the case with Putin before the release. CBS News reported Hubbard had been in poor health and is expected to be flown to Texas for treatment.

Context

The release occurs amid broader negotiations between the Trump administration and Russia, including a deal struck with Washington to remove export controls on Russian diesel oil—a deal that has drawn sharp criticism from Ukrainian President Zelensky and further strained US-Ukraine diplomatic relations. Witkoff's statements during the St. Petersburg meeting framed the diesel agreement as an example of what cooperation with Russia could achieve, positioning prisoner release and trade deals as linked elements of Trump's engagement strategy with Putin.