Russia Jails 72-Year-Old Us Man For Nearly Seven Years As A Mercenary
A 72-year-old US citizen was sentenced to nearly seven years in a Russian prison for fighting as a mercenary for Ukraine in a trial held mostly in secret.
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A 72-year-old American man was sentenced to nearly seven years in a Russian prison on Monday. He was accused of fighting as a mercenary for Ukraine. The man, named Stephen Hubbard, was sentenced by a judge in the city of Voronezh.
During the trial, which took place mostly behind closed doors, Hubbard was found guilty of participating in the armed conflict as a mercenary.
The judge, Alexandra Kovalevskaya, sentenced him to six years and ten months in prison. Hubbard, who wore a knitted jacket and dark pants, shuffled slowly into the courtroom. He stood with difficulty as the sentence was read.
Hubbard has been in custody since April 2, 2022. His lawyer told reporters that he would likely appeal the sentence. Since he has already spent over three and a half years in pre-trial detention, this time will be taken off his sentence. For each day he spent in custody, one and a half days will be subtracted from his final time in prison.
Prosecutors accused Hubbard of joining a Ukrainian territorial defense unit. They claimed he was paid at least $1,000 a month for his involvement. He reportedly received training and wore a combat uniform during his time in the conflict.
His case became public on September 27 when the trial began in Moscow. Russian authorities have not disclosed where he was detained.
A video from May 2022, shared on pro-Russian YouTube channels, showed a man named Stephen James Hubbard. In the video, he stated that he was born in Big Rapids, Michigan, and had been living in Ukraine since 2014.
On the same day, another American man, Robert Gilman, was also sentenced in Russia. He received a sentence of seven years and one month in a strict-regime penal colony. Gilman was found guilty of attacking prison staff and a criminal investigator. He had previously been convicted in 2022 for attacking a policeman while drunk in Voronezh. His earlier sentence was reduced on appeal.
In recent years, Russia has detained many Western citizens for various reasons, including charges of espionage and minor theft.
Some of these cases relate to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. One notable case involved Ksenia Karelina, a dual US-Russian citizen. She was sentenced to 12 years in prison for donating about $50 to a Ukrainian organization.
Two Colombian citizens are also held in Russia on charges of being mercenaries for Ukraine.
This comes after a significant prisoner exchange between Russia and the West on August 1, 2023. This was the largest exchange since the Cold War, where journalists and Russian dissidents were swapped for Russians imprisoned for serious crimes like murder and espionage.
As tensions continue between Russia and the West, the situation of detained foreigners remains a topic of concern.