The US citizen was captured by Russian forces soon after joining the Ukrainian territorial defense in 2022
A Moscow court has handed down a lengthy prison sentence to 72-year-old US citizen Stephen Hubbard, who was found guilty of fighting as a mercenary for Ukraine.
Hubbard had lived in Ukraine since 2014 and signed a contract with a territorial defense unit in the city of Izyum in February 2022. According to prosecutors, he was promised a salary of $1,000 per month to fight alongside Ukrainian forces and was provided with training, weapons, and ammunition. Hubbard was reportedly detained by Russian soldiers on April 2, 2022 during the fighting for the strategic city, less than two weeks after Moscow lauched its offensive in Ukraine.
Hubbard’s trial took place behind closed doors at the Moscow City Court, where he pleaded guilty to charges of serving as a mercenary. In an interview last month, Hubbard, a native of Michigan, claimed that he was…