Russia released US citizen Stephen Hubbard on October 21, 2026, more than four years after Russian troops seized him in the occupied Ukrainian city of Izium. A Russian court had sentenced the English teacher to six years and 10 months on a mercenary charge, while his family said his confession was coerced.

Radio Svoboda reported the former detainees’ accounts on Friday, October 23. Ukrainian serviceman Ihor Chychko said guards repeatedly beat Hubbard, set dogs on him, deprived him of food and forced him to crawl along a prison corridor.

Journalist Dmytro Khiliuk, another Ukrainian released from Russian captivity, said Hubbard’s limited Russian made him a particular target for humiliation. According to Khiliuk, prison staff ordered the elderly American to memorize and sing Russia’s anthem and recite regulations in Russian, threatening other prisoners when he made mistakes.

News of the release emerged during US presidential envoy Steve Witkoff’s visit to Moscow. Witkoff called Vladimir Putin a “great humanitarian,” a description Khiliuk condemned in light of the treatment that Hubbard allegedly endured during his imprisonment.