Russia frees 74-year-old American after visit from Trump envoy
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old American imprisoned in Russia for over four years, has been released following a high-level diplomatic visit.

In this photo released by the Moscow City Court Press Service, Stephen Hubbard, a US citizen accused of fighting as a mercenary in Ukraine against Russia stands in a glass cage during a court session in the Moscow City court on Monday, Oct. 7, 2024.

Stephen Hubbard, an American imprisoned in Russia for more than four years on charges of fighting as a mercenary in Ukraine, has been released after a visit by US special envoy Steve Witkoff to St. Petersburg.

Hubbard, a retired teacher from Michigan, was designated by the US State Department as wrongfully detained. President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he had raised Hubbard’s case with Russian President Vladimir Putin.