Russian court jails US citizen for nearly 7 years on Ukraine mercenary charge
72-year-old Stephen Hubbard’s sentence for his alleged mercenary role in Ukraine marks first conviction for a US national in the conflict
A Russian court on Monday sentenced a 72-year-old US citizen to six years and 10 months in prison after convicting him in a closed-door trial of serving as a mercenary for Ukraine, a Reuters reporter in the courtroom said.
Investigators said Stephen James Hubbard, a native of Michigan, was paid US$1,000 per month to serve in a Ukrainian territorial defence unit in the eastern city of Izyum, where he had been living since 2014.
Russian state media said Hubbard had pleaded guilty to the charge.
But in interviews last month, Hubbard’s sister Patricia Hubbard Fox and another relative cast doubt on his reported confession, telling Reuters he held pro-Russian views and was unlikely to have taken up arms at his age.
On Monday, Hubbard sat in a glass courtroom cage in handcuffs. He stood up, seemingly with difficulty, to hear the judge in the Moscow City Court pronounce him guilty, removing his hat to reveal a shaved head.
Hubbard listened without visible emotion to the judge before conferring with his lawyer, who later declined to comment to reporters. RIA reported that Hubbard’s lawyer will appeal the verdict.
Reuters was unable to confirm how Hubbard was detained. The Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Ministry has not replied to multiple messages seeking comment.
