US prisoner freed from Russia didn't know of release until seeing American flag

Stephen Hubbard, a US citizen freed from Russian prison Wednesday, did not know he was being released until he saw the American flag aboard a plane, his sister said Thursday. Patricia Hubbard Fox said her brother thought he was being taken to his death during the transfer from prison to Moscow. She added he was starved and beaten so severely that fellow inmates had to carry him, and he now laughs with relief at his freedom. The US had designated Hubbard as wrongfully detained, and his legal team disputed Russian allegations of military activity. The Air Force veteran had been living in Ukraine at the time of Russia's invasion and will likely stay with his sister in Colorado.