Stephen Hubbard freed by Russia: Russia released Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old American held for more than four years on mercenary charges, on Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026, as White House envoy Steve Witkoff sat down with President Vladimir Putin at the Constantine Palace in St. Petersburg. Putin announced the release at the start of the televised session, telling Witkoff, “He is at Pulkovo Airport,” according to Axios.
The Guardian described the release as unilateral, noting that earlier releases of Americans held in Russia have often come through prisoner exchanges. The Boston Report’s first account of the morning’s events is in Russia Frees Stephen Hubbard as Witkoff Meets Putin in St. Petersburg; this report looks more closely at the terms, the criminal case and what was said inside the palace.
Terms of the release: no exchange announced
President Donald Trump said on Truth Social that he had asked Putin during a phone call last week to free Hubbard, the Associated Press reported. In the post, quoted by Axios, Trump wrote: “Stephen is on his way back home and will soon be with his family. The United States, out of respect for President Trump, was not required to give anything in return – an unprecedented situation for Russia. There was no ‘swap’ necessary for this release.”
No U.S. or Russian official has publicly described any other condition attached to the release. The AP noted that it came at a time when Trump has taken a series of actions that benefit Moscow, including waiving new sanctions and signing a deal to import Russian diesel earlier this month.
Who is the envoy?
Witkoff, a New York real estate developer by background, is the special envoy Trump tasked with brokering an end to the war in Ukraine. Wednesday’s trip was his ninth to Russia in that role, according to The Guardian. He arrived from Oslo, where on Tuesday he had met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the leaders of Norway and Finland, and representatives of France, the U.K., Germany, Poland, the European Union and NATO, Axios reported. Those Oslo talks centered on a unified proposal for a “framework agreement” to end the war, according to Axios.
What Witkoff and Putin said on camera
Witkoff told Putin that the Oslo talks had been productive. “I would like to say that there is progress, and I will update you on this,” he said, as quoted by Axios. He asked Putin to “consider resuming trilateral talks involving Ukraine, Russia, and the United States, where we could discuss the next steps toward achieving a settlement,” adding that technical groups of specialists could take part.
“We have brought several documents outlining approaches to achieving a peaceful settlement in the Ukrainian-Russian conflict. I would ask you, Mr. President, to review these documents a little later,” Witkoff said, according to Axios. The Guardian quoted a separate English-language version of the remark: “We’ve brought some papers. It’s really some ideas, some sort of peace deal between Russia and Ukraine, and you’ll read that at your leisure.”
Witkoff also praised Putin directly. “You talk so much about my president, President Trump, being a humanitarian. You are a humanitarian also, sir, and I salute that,” he said, The Guardian reported. According to the same report, Putin thanked Trump and first lady Melania Trump for “their attention to efforts to end the war,” and Witkoff said there was “some degree of momentum” behind peace efforts.
Putin raised topics beyond Ukraine. He offered Russian help in the U.S. dispute with Iran. “You know that we have a special, trusting relationship with Iran, with our partners in Iran, our friends, built over decades, and if there’s anything we can do to resolve this crisis, we’ll be happy to do so,” he said, according to Axios. He also said he wanted to discuss a possible meeting with Trump in China in mid-November, Axios reported, and pointed to the prospect of higher Russian fertilizer exports to the U.S. market once the war ends, according to The Guardian.
Hubbard’s case: from Izyum to a Moscow courtroom
Hubbard, born in Michigan, had lived in Ukraine since 2014, according to Russia’s RIA Novosti. Axios reported that Russian troops seized him in eastern Ukraine in April 2022, weeks after the full-scale invasion began. Russian prosecutors alleged that in February 2022 he signed a contract with a territorial defense battalion in the city of Izyum for at least $1,000 a month, received training and weapons, and served until his capture on April 2, 2022, RIA Novosti reported.
On Oct. 7, 2024, the Moscow City Court convicted him after a closed-door trial and sentenced him to six years and 10 months in a general-regime penal colony, Reuters and RIA Novosti reported. Russian state media said he pleaded guilty; CNN quoted him telling the court, “Yes, I agree with the charges.” Reuters reported at the time that his family doubted the confession, and his defense said it would appeal. The charge carries a range of seven to 15 years, according to RIA Novosti, meaning the sentence fell below the statutory minimum.
What remains unresolved
Neither side announced an agreement on Ukraine after the meeting, and Russia has not publicly accepted the request to resume trilateral talks. Zelenskyy said Tuesday that the next step should be a meeting among himself, Putin and Trump, a format Moscow has so far rejected, Axios reported. The Guardian reported that Russian officials said the first tanker of diesel bound for the U.S. would leave Thursday as part of an initial shipment of about 300,000 tonnes. Related coverage: the Oslo talks with Zelenskyy and the diesel deal and Trump’s comments on Ukraine’s leadership.
Additional details
Russian court records render Hubbard’s full name as Stephen James Hubbard, and RIA Novosti noted an alternate transliteration of his surname. Judge Alexandra Kovalevskaya read the verdict, according to RIA Novosti. The Guardian reported that Kyiv says it still faces restrictions on access to Starshield, the military version of the Starlink satellite network, and that accounts differ over who ordered them. Details of Hubbard’s travel after leaving Pulkovo Airport had not been officially confirmed at the time of publication.
Featured image: Vladimir Putin shakes hands with U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff (file photo). Photo: Kremlin.ru, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Sources
- Axios: Witkoff asks Putin to resume direct peace talks, Russia releases U.S. detainee
- The Guardian: Putin orders release of jailed American as he meets Trump envoy for Ukraine talks
- AP: Russia frees American Stephen Hubbard after over 4 years in prison
- Reuters: Russian court jails US citizen for nearly seven years on Ukraine mercenary charge (2024)
- RIA Novosti: Hubbard sentenced in mercenary case (2024, Russian)
- CNN: Russian court sentences US citizen Stephen Hubbard (2024)
Additional sources
- NBC News: Russia frees American Stephen Hubbard, 74, as Trump envoy meets with Putin
- BBC News: US citizen Stephen Hubbard freed by Russia and ‘on his way home’
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