Putin Says Russia Agreed to Release Jailed American Stephen Hubbard

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia had agreed to release Stephen Hubbard, an American citizen jailed in Russia for allegedly fighting on behalf of Ukraine, according to state media reports. Putin said that during talks in St Petersburg with US envoy Steve Witkoff, Hubbard had been taken to Pulkovo Airport near the city, according to the BBC.

Hubbard is originally from Michigan. He was 72 when he was sentenced in 2024 to almost seven years in a penal colony, a type of prison. Russian prosecutors said he had been serving in a defence unit based in the eastern city of Izyum when Russian forces captured him, two years before his sentencing.

NBC News, citing the TASS state news agency, reported that Putin had made the Pulkovo Airport statement and that Hubbard was 74 at the time of his release. CNN reported that Hubbard, who had been detained in Russia for more than four years, was released after a visit by Witkoff. According to the Associated Press, Witkoff had tried without success to secure Hubbard's release before this visit.

The case has been raised by Washington before. In April 2025, the US State Department called on Russia to release Hubbard, who had then been detained for nearly three years, and said the United States continued to work to free him. In remarks published on the State Department website, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Hubbard should be released as soon as possible.