American teacher released from Russian prison after four years
Summarised from 2 outlets · 5 reports · Updated 24 Oct, 01:44 · Archive
Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old retired American teacher, has been released from Russian detention after more than four years and returned to the United States.
Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old retired teacher from Michigan, has been released from Russian prison after more than four years of detention. He was captured in Ukraine shortly after Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022 and accused of manning a checkpoint for mercenaries. He was sentenced to almost seven years, though his family has disputed the charges. President Trump announced that Hubbard landed back in the United States on Wednesday evening and expected him to visit the White House soon.
Hubbard's release was announced during a meeting between U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg. Hubbard landed in San Antonio, where he will receive a medical evaluation, which is standard procedure for prisoners released from overseas. Before departing Russia, Hubbard spoke briefly with his son, friar Joseph Coleman, who said his father sounded better than during their last conversation in May 2025.
According to the New York Post, a former Ukrainian prisoner who was jailed alongside Hubbard in the Bryansk region said the American faced physical and sexual abuse while imprisoned. Ihor Shishko claimed Hubbard was beaten, electrically shocked and sexually assaulted, and was forced to crawl on prison floors. Shishko criticised U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff's description of Putin as a 'humanitarian' following the release as 'shameful and despicable'.
How it is being reported
- Witkoff’s absurd Putin praise: Letters to the Editor — Oct. 24, 2026NY Post readers discuss US envoy Steve Witkoff calling Vladimir Putin a “humanitarian” after he freed Stephen Hubbard.New York Post · 23 Oct, 21:27
- American teacher Stephen Hubbard was horrifically beaten, sexually assaulted while imprisoned in Russia: former inmateFormer prisoner Ihor Shishko blasted US envoy Steve Witkoff's flattery of Putin as a humanitarian as "shameful and despicable."New York Post · 23 Oct, 19:21
- Stephen Hubbard returns to U.S. after Russian detentionStephen Hubbard, an American who'd been detained by Russia for more than four years, has landed back in the U.S., President Trump said. Ramy Inocencio has more.CBS News · 22 Oct, 16:26
- American released from Russian prison with "no 'swap' necessary," Trump saysU.S. citizen Stephen Hubbard has been released from a Russian prison. This comes after President Trump made a diesel deal with Russia and a U.S. envoy met with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss the Ukraine war. CBS News' Ramy Inocencio reports.CBS News · 22 Oct, 14:43
- Stephen Hubbard back in U.S. after release from Russian prisonHubbard, a Michigan native, spent four years wrongfully imprisoned in Russia before being released on Wednesday.CBS News · 22 Oct, 14:18
In this story: Stephen Hubbard · Vladimir Putin · Steve Witkoff · Michigan · Russia · Ukraine
This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem · Corrections log
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