A retired Michigan teacher held by Russia for more than four years is free and headed home, and President Trump says America gave up nothing to get him back.
Story Highlights
- Russia freed Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old retired American teacher, on Wednesday, October 21, after President Trump asked Vladimir Putin to let him go.
- Trump said he made the request in a phone call with Putin the week before, and that “there was no ‘swap’ necessary for this release.”
- Russia had convicted Hubbard in 2024 of fighting for Ukraine as a mercenary, a charge he denied, and sentenced him to almost seven years.
- The U.S. State Department had listed Hubbard as wrongfully detained, the last American in Russia with that label.
- Trump had held off on new sanctions against Russia despite criticism, from Republicans among others, and he says “numerous people” have since called him to apologize.
Who Stephen Hubbard Is
Hubbard is a Michigan native and a retired school teacher who once served in the U.S. Air Force and the National Guard. He was in Ukraine when Russia invaded in February 2022. Russian forces seized him in eastern Ukraine in April 2022, about two months into the war.
Russian prosecutors said he served in a Ukrainian defense unit in the city of Izyum and fought for pay. That is what made him a “mercenary” in their eyes: a foreigner who fights in someone else’s war for money. A Moscow court sentenced him on October 7, 2024, to six years and 10 months in a penal colony, which is a Russian prison work camp. The trial was largely held behind closed doors.
Hubbard’s lawyer, Martin De Luca, has said Hubbard told him the charges were false and that he was never in any combat or military unit. His sister called him “so non-military” and pointed to his age. The U.S. government named him wrongfully detained, a formal label for an American it believes is being held unjustly.
How Trump Got Him Out
Trump announced the release in a Wednesday morning post on Truth Social. He wrote that Hubbard was released “at the request of President Donald J. Trump, made directly to President Vladimir Putin in a telephone conversation last week.” He added, “The United States, out of respect for President Trump, was not required to give anything in return.”
The news broke as Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy, or personal representative, met with Putin in St. Petersburg, Russia. Witkoff thanked Putin and told him, “Because of you, he’s going home to his family.” Russian state news agencies, citing Putin, said Hubbard had been taken to the city’s Pulkovo Airport.
“Stephen is on his way back home and will soon be with his family,” Trump wrote. “Welcome home Stephen, it’s great to have you back.” Trump also wrote that “Biden should have done the Hubbard release long ago!” Hubbard is in poor health and is expected to be flown to Texas for care at a military hospital, according to reports.
Why It Matters To Americans
Trump noted that, unlike earlier releases of Americans held in Russia, this one did not require the United States to hand over anyone in return. For many conservatives, that is the point: trades can reward a government for grabbing Americans in the first place.
Trump also tied the release to his choice to hold off on new sanctions against Russia, the penalties meant to squeeze its economy. Some members of Congress, Republicans among them, had criticized that choice. Trump said “numerous people” had since called to apologize for opposing it.
Hubbard was the last American in Russia on the State Department’s wrongfully detained list. As many as 10 other Americans are still in Russian custody, according to reports. For one Michigan family, the wait of more than four years is over.
Sources:
foxnews.com, cbsnews.com, cnn.com, nbcnews.com, abcnews4.com, dailymail.com
