MOSCOW—In a closed trial, a 72-year-old American was sentenced by a Russian court on Monday to nearly seven years in prison for allegedly fighting as a mercenary in Ukraine.
Prosecutors claimed that Stephen Hubbard had signed a contract with the Ukrainian military after Russian troops entered Ukraine in February 2022 and had fought alongside them until he was captured two months later.
Hubbard was handed a sentence of six years and 10 months in a general-security prison, although prosecutors had requested a seven-year term in a maximum-security facility.
Hailing from Michigan, Hubbard is the first known American to be convicted of fighting as a mercenary in the Ukrainian conflict.
Responding to the situation, U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller expressed disappointment over Russia’s denial of consular access, stating, “We’re disappointed, as we often are, when they refuse to grant consular access. They have an obligation to provide it, and we’re going to continue to press for it. We’re looking at the case very closely and considering our next steps.”
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The charges against Hubbard carried a maximum possible sentence of 15 years, but due to his age and admission of guilt, prosecutors requested a lesser sentence, Russian news outlets reported.
In recent years, arrests of Americans in Russia have become more frequent, leading to concerns that U.S. citizens may be targeted for arrest as potential bargaining chips in negotiations for the return of Russians convicted of crimes in the U.S. and Europe.
On the same day, a court in Voronezh sentenced American Robert Gilman to seven years and one month for allegedly assaulting law enforcement officers while serving a sentence for a previous assault.
Reports from Russia indicated that Gilman had been arrested in 2022 for causing a disturbance while intoxicated on a passenger train and later assaulted a police officer while in custody. He is currently serving a 3½-year sentence for that offense.
Last year, Gilman was involved in an altercation with a prison inspector during a cell check and subsequently struck an official from the Investigative Committee, resulting in the additional sentence, as reported by state news agency RIA-Novosti.
In August, the U.S. and Russia completed their largest prisoner swap since the Soviet era, involving 24 individuals, extensive negotiations, and concessions from other European nations, which released Russian detainees in their custody as part of the agreement. Despite the swap, several American citizens remain incarcerated in Russia.
