A court in Russia has handed down a nearly seven-year prison sentence to a 72-year-old American citizen accused of serving as a mercenary in Ukraine. The man, identified by media outlets as Stephen Hubbard, was adjudicated in accordance with the country’s stringent laws regarding foreign combatants.
In recent months, Russia has apprehended several American nationals and orchestrated significant prisoner exchanges. Among those released was Wall Street Journal journalist Evan Gershkovich, as well as Irish citizen Paul Whelan. This series of exchanges has often included the repatriation of Russians incarcerated in the United States.
In a related case, a court located in Voronezh, a western Russian city, imposed an additional seven-year sentence on a U.S. man who was already serving time for violent actions within the prison system.
During the proceedings at Moscow City Court, Judge Alexandra Kovalevskaya pronounced Hubbard’s sentence: six years and ten months. An AFP reporter present at the court documented the event as a screen projected the verdict to onlookers.
Hubbard faced conviction for “participating as a mercenary in the armed conflict,” following a succinct trial that largely transpired behind closed doors. His ongoing detention since April 2, 2022, was factored into his sentence, with the ruling allowing for time served to offset his total sentence. Reports from RIA Novosti confirmed that, due to this calculation, Hubbard has effectively already served over three and a half years.
Hubbard’s attorney indicated to reporters that an appeal of the sentence is likely. Originally facing the prospect of up to 15 years in prison, prosecutors requested the minimum of seven years, taking into consideration Hubbard’s age and his admission of guilt. His case did not become public knowledge until September 27, when the trial commenced.
Details regarding the location of Hubbard’s detention have not been disclosed by Russian authorities. During a recent court hearing, a request from prosecutors led to a decision to conduct the trial in secrecy, with no media presence allowed.
According to prosecutors, Hubbard received an estimated $1,000 a month to join a Ukrainian territorial defense unit. Allegedly, he underwent training, was supplied a combat uniform, and actively participated in hostilities within Ukraine.
In a somewhat murky backdrop, Russian state-run TASS reported that Hubbard had been residing in Izyum, Ukraine, since 2014. Russian forces gained control of this town of approximately 45,000 residents shortly after initiating their military intervention, but were subsequently ousted in a counteroffensive led by Kyiv in September 2022.
While Hubbard’s arrest circumstances remain largely undisclosed, a video surfaced on pro-Russian YouTube channels in May 2022, during Izyum’s occupation. In the footage, a man identifying himself as Stephen James Hubbard stated that he hailed from Big Rapids, Michigan, and had moved to Ukraine in 2014.
In another case involving an American sentenced in Russia for violent offenses, Robert Gilman received a lengthy sentence of seven years and one month in a strict-regime penal colony, having previously been convicted of assaulting prison staff and a criminal investigator. Last year, he had already been sentenced to 4.5 years for a drunken assault on a police officer in Voronezh, with the sentence later reduced to three and a half years on appeal. Reports indicated he had physically attacked prison staff on two occasions and assaulted a criminal investigator.
Over the past few years, Russia has detained several Western nationals on various charges, spanning from espionage to minor offenses, many of which have been linked to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. This includes Ksenia Karelina, a dual citizen of the U.S. and Russia, arrested while visiting family and sentenced to 12 years in prison for a relatively minor act of donating around $50 to a Ukrainian organization.
Additionally, two Colombian citizens are in Russian custody, also accused of being mercenaries on behalf of Ukraine.
On August 1, a significant prisoner exchange took place, marking one of the largest swaps between Russia and the West since the Cold War. This operation involved the exchange of journalists and dissidents jailed on one side for Russians imprisoned for serious offenses, including murder and espionage, on the other.
Edited by: Ali Musa
Axadle international–Monitoring
