American teacher, detained in Kharkiv, released in Russia
The American teacher, Steven Hubbard, who was detained in Russia, has been released. He was held captive since April 2022 year. He was accused of joining the territorial defense forces of Izum, where he lived. In 2024 year, Hubbard was sentenced to six years and ten months in a penal colony.
In Russia, American teacher Steven Hubbard has been released from prison. Hubbard, who was held in captivity since April 2022 year, was detained in 2022 and accused of joining the territorial defense forces of Izyum. It was reported that during his detention, he was subjected to torture, including beatings and attacks by dogs.
In 2023, Hubbard was transferred to a prison in the city of Pakino, in the Volyn region, where he was held in a cell with Kharkiv resident Igor Shishko, who was released in 2023. In 2024, a Moscow court found Hubbard guilty and sentenced him to six years and ten months in a penal colony. The case was heard in two closed-door sessions.
Steven Hubbard left the US ten years ago, lived in Japan, and later settled in the city of Izum, in the Kharkiv region. At the beginning of the full-scale war, he was unable to escape from the occupied city due to roadblocks. According to Russian information agencies, Hubbard is already preparing to leave for the US. He was fired on the day that Trump's special envoy Witcoff arrived in Moscow.