Russia Releases US Teacher Stephen Hubbard After Putin Agrees to Trump's Request

Russia freed 74-year-old American teacher Stephen Hubbard from prison on Wednesday, sending him to St Petersburg for a flight back to the US after President Vladimir Putin agreed to release him at Donald Trump's request during ongoing talks on ending the Ukraine war. Hubbard, a retired schoolteacher from Michigan, had served a six-year and 10-month sentence for mercenary activity following his 2022 arrest in eastern Ukraine, though his family and lawyer disputed the charges. US envoy Steve Witkoff called Putin a "humanitarian" for the release, drawing bipartisan criticism in Washington. The release came as Trump's gestures toward Moscow, including a diesel purchase deal and sanctions waiver, faced pushback from US lawmakers and European allies. Hubbard was the last American designated as "wrongfully detained" by Russia, and his son reported he sounded happy in a brief phone call before departure.