A 76-year-old American who had signed a contract with the Ukrainian military and fought against Russia has been sentenced to prison in Russia.
Russian news outlets such as Sputnik reported on Monday that the Moscow City Court sentenced 76-year-old American citizen Stephen Hubbard to six years and ten months in prison for participating in hostile activities on the side of the Ukrainian military.
The court also ordered the confiscation of Hubbard’s property, amounting to 142,000 hryvnias (US$3,400).
Hubbard, originally from Michigan, had resided in Izyum, Kharkiv Oblast, in northeastern Ukraine since 2014. In February 2022, he signed a contract with the Ukrainian military. He was serving in a territorial defense unit in Izyum when he was captured by Russian forces in April of that same year.
According to Sputnik, Hubbard received $1,000 per month for his service and acknowledged his guilt.
However, Hubbard’s family claimed that he had previously held pro-Russian views, and given his old age, they doubted he had taken up arms.
Hubbard could have been sentenced to a maximum of 15 years, but Russian prosecutors decided on 6 years and 10 months, taking his age into account.
According to the Associated Press(AP), this marks the first case of an American being convicted for allegedly serving as a mercenary in the Ukrainian military since Russia launched its special military operation in Ukraine in February 2022.
The U.S. Embassy in Moscow confirmed that it is aware of the detention of a U.S. citizen but declined to provide further details.
Most Commented