Russia released U.S. citizen Stephen Hubbard from custody on Wednesday, an event President Donald Trump attributed to a direct request he made to Russian President Vladimir Putin. U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, who was in St. Petersburg for a meeting with Putin, first announced the release.
In a statement posted on his Truth Social platform, President Trump confirmed Hubbard was returning to the United States. “Stephen is on his way back home and will soon be with his family,” the statement read. Trump’s post specified that the U.S. “was not required to give anything in return” and that a prisoner exchange was not part of the arrangement.
Hubbard, a 74-year-old retired teacher, was detained in 2022 in the eastern Ukrainian city of Izyum during a period of Russian control. In 2024, a Russian court convicted him on charges of acting as a mercenary and sentenced him to nearly seven years in prison. Throughout his detention and trial, Hubbard maintained that he was not involved in any military or combat activities.
The release occurs with 14 days remaining before the U.S. midterm elections. President Trump has been actively campaigning, with a rally held Tuesday in North Carolina and another scheduled in South Carolina.
During recent campaign events, Trump has reiterated a proposal to provide a $5,000 payment to every American adult if the Republican Party wins control of both the House and Senate. According to the White House, the plan would be funded by new foreign trade agreements, foreign investments, and government shares in private companies.
The proposal has drawn reactions from political figures. Some Democratic lawmakers have described the plan as a “vote-buying scheme,” while some members of the Republican party have publicly questioned its funding sources. A September poll conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that about half of registered voters surveyed said they believed Trump does not keep his promises.
