American, 72, who fought for Ukraine imprisoned in Russia

A Moscow court has sentenced US citizen Stephen Hubbard, 72, to 6 years and 10 months in prison. The prosecution accuses Hubbard of fighting for Ukraine.

Source: Mediazona, a Russian news outlet 

Details: Mediazona reported that the court also ordered the confiscation of Hubbard's money – 142,300 hryvnias (about US$3,400).

The prosecution stated that Hubbard had supposedly agreed to fight for Ukraine for US$1,000 a month and received training, weapons and ammunition. It is noted that Hubbard supposedly pleaded guilty.

Hubbard's lawyer has already stated that he will appeal the verdict. 

Representatives of the US Embassy in Moscow said that they were waiting for a response to a request for consular access to Hubbard.

Background:

• RIA Novosti, a Kremlin-aligned Russian news outlet, reported that Hubbard had been living in Ukraine since 2014, and he joined the territorial defence of the city of Izium in February 2022. Two months from that, he was taken captive by Russia.
• In May 2024, a post dated 27 May appeared on Facebook in the profile of a user under the name Tricia Hubbard Fox, in which she said that her brother, Stephen James Hubbard, had been "kidnapped up in Ukraine nearly three years ago" and that there were two videos of him being beaten by "Russian Chechen rebel soldiers" while tied up.

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