Putin confirms US prisoner Stephen Hubbard freed and at St Petersburg airport

Vladimir Putin has confirmed that Stephen Hubbard, the 74-year-old US citizen held in Russian custody since 2022, has been freed and is at St Petersburg’s Pulkovo airport.

Putin made the announcement on Wednesday during a meeting with US special envoy Steve Witkoff in St Petersburg, according to comments published by Russian state media and reported by Reuters. It is the ninth time Witkoff has met Putin in person, Reuters reported. Putin’s aide Yuri Ushakov said the talks took place at the Konstantin Palace, Interfax reported, and Witkoff thanked Putin for the release.

Hubbard, a retired schoolteacher from Michigan, had been serving a six-year, 10-month sentence after a closed-door trial in October 2024 convicted him of mercenary activity, Reuters reported. Russian prosecutors alleged he had manned a Ukrainian checkpoint in Izyum, where he was arrested in April 2022. His lawyer, Martin De Luca, previously told Reuters that Hubbard said the charges were false and that he was not in any combat or military unit. Washington designated Hubbard as wrongfully detained in January 2025.

Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he had raised the idea of freeing Hubbard with Putin, Reuters reported.