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72-year-old American citizen sentenced to nearly seven years in Russian prison for allegedly being a mercenary in Ukraine


A 72-year-old American citizen, Stephen James Hubbard, was sentenced to six years and 10 months in prison by a Russian court for serving as a mercenary for Ukraine. He was accused of being paid $1,000 per month to join a Ukrainian territorial defense unit in Izyum in 2022, shortly after Russian troops entered Ukraine. Hubbard allegedly received training, weapons, and ammunition before being detained by Russian soldiers in April of that year.

While Russian state media reported that Hubbard pleaded guilty, his family members expressed doubt about his reported confession, stating that he held pro-Russian views and was unlikely to have taken up arms at his age. The U.S. embassy in Moscow confirmed knowledge of Hubbard’s detention but declined further comment.

Hubbard, who lived in Ukraine since 2014 surviving on a small pension, is one of at least 10 Americans imprisoned in Russia. In a separate case on the same day, another U.S. citizen, ex-marine Robert Gilman, was sentenced to seven years and one month in prison for assaulting a prison official and a state investigator while serving time for a previous assault conviction in Voronezh.

Hubbard’s lawyer intends to appeal the verdict, and the Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Ministry has not responded to inquiries. Hubbard’s family portrayed him as an isolated individual estranged from some family members due to his years teaching English abroad.

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www.nbcnews.com

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