Stephen Hubbard, US prisoner freed by Putin, endured beatings and starvation in Russian jail

American Stephen Hubbard, imprisoned in Russia since 2022, was released Wednesday during US-Russia talks. The 70-year-old had been convicted of mercenary activity and sentenced to nearly seven years. Hubbard was arrested in April 2022 after Russian forces captured Izium, Ukraine. Prosecutors alleged he joined a Ukrainian territorial defense unit for $1,000 monthly, though his sister disputed his guilty plea, citing his pro-Moscow views and age. Fellow Ukrainian inmates told the New York Times he was beaten, starved, and denied medical care in Mordovia's penal colony. His release follows recent US-Russia rapprochement, including Trump's lifting of diesel sanctions and envoy Steve Witkoff's Wednesday meeting with Putin.