Who is Stephen Hubbard, the retired American teacher freed by Russia?

Stephen James Hubbard, a retired American teacher, was released by Russia on Wednesday after nearly five years in detention in the midst of an apparent warming of ties between Washington and Moscow. The 74-year-old from Michigan had been living in eastern Ukraine for years when Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022. He was detained two months into the war as Russia captured swaths of Ukrainian territory. Two years later, he was convicted by a Russian court of serving as a mercenary. The news of his release came out of a meeting between President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, where they were due to discuss an end to the Ukraine war.

Witkoff thanked Putin for freeing Hubbard during their on-camera talks. Putin’s foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov later said Hubbard was handed over to Witkoff at St. Petersburg’s Pulkovo airport. In a video from Russian state news agency Ria, Hubbard can be seen wearing a green jacket and smiling as he met Witkoff. “Thank you very much for all your efforts,” the freed American tells Witkoff as they shake hands. Putin sent Hubbard “blessings,” Witkoff tells him, adding “from today, it’s a new life.” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin released Hubbard “on humanitarian grounds,” though Russia did not provide more details.