Four and a half years: The duration of Stephen Hubbard's Russian detention

Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old American, spent four and a half years in Russian custody. Two Ukrainians who were imprisoned with him say Russian guards beat him, shocked him with a stun gun, and denied him proper medical care throughout that period.

Dmytro Khyliuk, a journalist, first met Hubbard in September 2022 at the Novozybkov prison in Bryansk. Khyliuk said guards singled out the American immediately, using obscene language during inspections and mocking him from the first days. Ihor Shyshko, a captured Ukrainian soldier, corroborated this account. Shyshko stated that Hubbard was forced to learn Russian and recite prison rules he could not read. He said he watched guards strike Hubbard on the legs, back, and arms, and that Hubbard was subjected to sexual humiliation for the amusement of prison staff.

Hubbard was captured in April 2022 in Izyum, Ukraine, and sentenced to six years and ten months in Moscow for serving in Ukraine's armed forces. His family has stated he was tortured, a claim supported by the two men who shared his cells while he awaited trial. Khyliuk noted that Hubbard's health declined over several months, with guards summoning him to the prison doctor more frequently. Khyliuk described broken windows and bitter cold at Novozybkov, saying detainees huddled in bathrooms for warmth.

The men were later transferred to the Pakino prison, where Shyshko said Hubbard's condition worsened. Shyshko described rotting sores on Hubbard's knees and feet and recalled bandaging him after a doctor refused to do so. Shyshko said Hubbard was weak and barely able to move. The prisoners described a daily routine of beatings, forced running, and stress positions, along with a diet of porridge, bread, and potatoes. Shyshko also reported that a handler set a dog on prisoners to bite them.

Khyliuk claimed that Hubbard was hidden from International Red Cross staff at Pakino to conceal his physical state. The Red Cross said it asks to see every individual when granted access and continues talks with conflict parties on the issue. Khyliuk assumed Hubbard was released in 2024 when he vanished from the prison. He returned to Ukraine in August 2025 via a prisoner exchange and compared the treatment to the Stalin era, calling Russian captivity a torture machine.

The Kremlin released Hubbard on the day US special envoy Steve Witkoff met Vladimir Putin in St Petersburg. Witkoff called Putin a humanitarian. President Donald Trump said he asked Putin to free Hubbard in a phone call the previous week. Khyliuk called the timing shameful PR for the US president, while Shyshko said the perpetrators must face justice.