Russia releases imprisoned U.S. citizen Stephen Hubbard following Trump's request

NPR | By Charles Maynes,

Joanna Kakissis

Published October 21, 2026 at 2:20 AM AKDT

A screen set up at a hall of the Moscow City Court broadcasts the verdict in the trial of U.S. citizen Stephen Hubbard, accused of fighting as a mercenary for Ukraine, in Moscow on Oct. 7, 2024.

Russian President Vladimir Putin says he has freed an American, Stephen Hubbard, from a Russian prison following a request from President Trump.

The announcement came as talks got underway between Putin and White House envoy Steve Witkoff focused on U.S. efforts to end the war in Ukraine.

The 74-year-old Stephen Hubbard of Michigan was detained by Russian forces in eastern Ukraine in 2022 and later sentenced — after a closed trial in 2024 — to nearly seven years in prison, for serving as a mercenary in the Ukrainian army.

As talks with Witkoff got underway in Russia's former imperial capital of Saint Petersburg, Putin announced Hubbard had been released and was already at Pulkovo Airport in St. Petersburg.

Prior to the talks, Trump said he had asked Putin to release Hubbard, whom the U.S. had formally designated wrongfully detained under the Biden administration.

Hubbard's release comes as Trump has lifted some sanctions on Moscow — and openly criticized Ukraine — amid U.S. efforts to negotiate an end to the war.