Stephen Hubbard, an American who was imprisoned in Russia for more than four years on charges of fighting as a mercenary in Ukraine, has been released by Moscow and returned to the United States after a direct plea from President Donald Trump.
Mr. Hubbard, a 74-year-old retired teacher, was captured in occupied eastern Ukraine during Russia’s all-out invasion in 2022 and accused of fighting for Kiev on trumped-up charges by his family and the State Department.
Hubbard is currently at a military facility in San Antonio, Texas, where he will participate in a program to help him readjust after being captured in Russia, a U.S. official told CNN on Thursday.
His release in Russia was announced as U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff met with President Vladimir Putin for talks aimed at advancing peace efforts in Ukraine.
Mr. Witkov thanked Mr. Putin for releasing Mr. Hubbard, calling the Russian president a “humanitarian” who is the subject of an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court and who is cracking down on dissent at home.
Plane carrying US citizen Stephen Hubbard released by Russia arrives in Texas
Plane carrying US citizen Stephen Hubbard released by Russia arrives in Texas
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Mr. Hubbard has been teaching English abroad for decades. He moved to the eastern Ukrainian city of Izyum in 2014, which was occupied by Russian forces at the start of the war against Ukraine in 2022.
A video shared with CNN showed Hubbard meeting with Witkov and Russian negotiator Kirill Dmitriev at St. Petersburg’s Pulkovo Airport on Wednesday. In the video, Hubbard was seen standing and walking on his own. His family had previously expressed concerns about his health.
Mr. Witkov told Mr. Hubbard, who spent years in Russian prisons, that President Putin “congratulates you and wishes you all the best.”
Trump has said the United States doesn’t need to give Russia anything in return, but Hubbard’s release comes as the president faces accusations that he favored Russia at the expense of Ukraine.
Relations between the Trump administration and Kiev have been strained in recent weeks as Ukraine has accused the United States of restricting information sharing about Russian missile flights, slowing critical Starlink services and delaying arms supplies.
Compounding Kiev’s discontent, President Trump last week lifted some sanctions against Russia, a move that drew bipartisan criticism in the United States.
President Trump said in a social media post Wednesday that Russia was not asking for anything in return for Hubbard’s release “out of respect for President Trump.” But he later said in another post: “Had sanctions been imposed, certainly negotiations would have come to a complete and utter halt.”
Mr. Hubbard’s son, Joseph Coleman, thanked Mr. Trump and other U.S. officials for securing his father’s release. Shortly after the former teacher’s release, President Trump met with Mr. Hubbard, and the president posted a photo of Mr. Hubbard and his family holding an American flag on their flight home.
“We have never wavered as we wish the negotiations a success. We must acknowledge that President Putin’s humanitarian actions on this issue are deeply appreciated,” Coleman said.
Coleman was able to speak briefly with his father after his release, and said he was “in good spirits.”
“He didn’t say anything about his time in prison, he just expressed gratitude for being released,” Coleman told CNN. “He was so excited that I could see him here in Washington, D.C., and that Thomas, my half-brother and his other son, would be here.”
There are no plans for Hubbard to meet with Trump upon his arrival due to his health, his U.S.-based lawyer Martin De Luca told CNN. However, she said there is a possibility they could meet in the coming weeks “when he feels better.”
Mr. Hubbard is the latest American to be released from Russian custody.
In August, Robert Gilman was released from Russian custody on humanitarian grounds amid serious concerns for his health. The Marine Corps veteran was severely weakened when he returned to the United States on a private medical plane. Groups working on his behalf said Gilman had been tortured while in Russian custody.
However, many other Americans remain imprisoned in Russia.
Andre Khachaturian was arrested in 2021 and sentenced to eight and a half years in prison for arms trafficking, a charge he denies. Khachaturian, an Armenian-American, was arrested while traveling to Armenia from the United States via Moscow.
David Burns was arrested in 2022. David Burns was detained after his ex-wife, who kidnapped their sons from Texas to Russia, made allegations of abuse that have already been disproved twice by Texas authorities, according to the Foley Foundation, which supports American hostages and illegal detainees.
Alexander Antonov, who came to the United States as a Soviet refugee and later became a naturalized citizen, was arrested in 2025 while trying to cross the border from Russia to Estonia. The Foley Foundation said he was accused of “anti-Russian sentiments.” He was sentenced to six years in prison for inciting terrorism and extremism.
Olga Gezler, a permanent resident of the United States, was arrested for drug trafficking and sentenced to 10 years in prison in 2022. According to the Foley Foundation, she brought legal CBD oil to Russia for her sister who is battling breast cancer, but Russian prosecutors intentionally misclassified the substance as hashish oil.
Supporters describe Chuck Zimmerman as a military veteran who was captured by the Russian Navy while sailing in international waters. He was charged with weapons trafficking for having a firearm on board.
A State Department spokeswoman said she hoped Hubbard’s release “will lead to the release of all Americans wrongfully detained in Russia.”
“The current administration remains committed to the release of all Americans unjustly detained in Russia,” they said. “Currently, no American nationals have been determined to be unlawfully detained in Russia,” the spokesperson said.
This story has been updated.
