American Freed from Russian Prison Didn't Know Until He Saw US Flag

Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old American freed Wednesday from a Russian prison, did not realize he was being released until he boarded a plane and saw a U.S. flag, his sister said Thursday. Patricia Hubbard Fox said her brother, a retired teacher from Michigan, was taken from prison to Moscow without explanation and feared he was being killed. He was sentenced to nearly seven years in 2024 for allegedly fighting with Ukrainian forces, a claim his legal team disputed, and the U.S. had designated him as wrongfully detained. Hubbard, an Air Force veteran, had moved to Ukraine before the 2022 invasion and was living there when it began. His sister said he was starved and beaten in prison, and she plans for him to live with her in Colorado.