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Trump secures release of American teacher detained in Russia; pursues data center 'dividend' policy ahead of midterms

Confirmed1 source · Oct 21, 2026

US envoy Steve Witkoff is meeting with Putin in St. Petersburg as Trump claims credit for freeing Stephen Hubbard, a Michigan schoolteacher convicted of fighting as a mercenary in Ukraine.

Trump secures release of American teacher detained in Russia; pursues data center 'dividend' policy ahead of midterms
Image via The Guardian

What happened

Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old retired schoolteacher from Michigan, has been released by Russian authorities. Hubbard had been arrested in the eastern Ukrainian city of Izyum when Russian forces briefly took the city in 2022 and was sentenced to nearly seven years in prison by a Russian court in 2024 on charges of fighting as a mercenary in Ukraine. Trump stated that he requested Hubbard's release directly from Putin in a telephone call last week and claimed it occurred without any reciprocal swap or concession from the United States. US envoy Steve Witkoff announced the release and is currently in St. Petersburg meeting with Putin on Ukraine-related matters. Separately, Trump posted on social media that data center companies building energy-intensive facilities should be mandated to generate their own electricity and provide or sell excess power back to local communities, citing proposed warehouses in Michigan as examples.

Context

The Hubbard release comes as Trump seeks to demonstrate foreign policy success ahead of the midterm elections in 14 days. Trump has cast this as a diplomatic achievement where Russia made a concession without reciprocal US action, contrasting it with what he describes as the Biden administration's failed negotiations with Russia. The data center policy appears designed to address local opposition to AI infrastructure expansion in energy-sensitive regions like Michigan, where Trump is campaigning. These moves target constituencies Trump is courting in the midterm push, combining a foreign policy win with a response to community concerns about resource-intensive development.

What's disputed

Hubbard has denied being involved with any combat or military unit, stating that Russian forces simply took him from his house, contradicting the charges brought against him by Russian courts.