President Donald Trump says Russia has released Stephen Hubbard, a retired U.S. teacher detained on allegations that he fought as a mercenary in Ukraine.
In a Wednesday morning post on Truth Social, Trump said Hubbard was freed after he personally asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to release him during a phone call the previous week. Hubbard was captured by Russian forces four years ago, during the Biden administration, Trump wrote.
“Stephen is on his way back home and will soon be with his family,” Trump wrote. He said the United States did not have to provide anything in exchange, attributing the release to Russia’s respect for the American president. Trump emphasized that there was no prisoner “swap” and criticized the Biden administration for failing to secure Hubbard’s freedom through negotiations with the Kremlin.
“Welcome home Stephen, it’s great to have you back,” Trump said in the post.
A screen in a Moscow City Court hall displays the verdict in the trial of U.S. citizen Stephen Hubbard, 72, who was accused of fighting as a mercenary for Ukraine, on Oct. 7, 2024. (NATALIA KOLESNIKOVA/AFP via Getty Images)
In a separate Truth Social post, Trump said that people who had urged immediate sanctions against Russia later apologized because they had not known he was negotiating Hubbard’s release. He warned that imposing sanctions could have brought those discussions “to a complete and total halt.”
“Biden should have done the Hubbard release long ago! What a difference a President makes!” Trump wrote.
Hubbard, who is from Michigan, was sentenced by a Russian court in 2024 to nearly seven years in prison. Prosecutors alleged that he signed a contract with Ukraine’s military after Russia launched its invasion in February 2022 and fought with Ukrainian forces until he was captured roughly two months later.
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U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff raised Hubbard’s case with Putin during a meeting on Wednesday, telling the Russian leader, “Because of you, he’s going home to his family.”
U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff speaks during a Board of Peace high-level briefing on Sept. 23, 2026, in New York City. (Ryan Murphy/Getty Images)
Witkoff described Hubbard as a 75-year-old man and called Putin a “humanitarian” in remarks about the release.
Trump said Tuesday that he had been in contact with Putin about Hubbard’s detention.
Stephen Hubbard, accused of serving as a mercenary with the Ukrainian Armed Forces, appears at a hearing at Moscow City Court in Moscow on Oct. 8, 2024. (Moscow City Court/Anadolu via Getty Images)
“I’ve been talking to President Putin about Mr. Hubbard. I’ve been talking to him at length. I’ve asked him to release him,” Trump said. “Let’s see what happens.”
