Stephen Hubbard back in U.S. after release from Russian prison

Stephen Hubbard, a native of Michigan, returned to the United States on Wednesday after being released from a Russian prison where he had been held for over four years. President Trump announced Hubbard's release on Wednesday evening, stating that the former schoolteacher had just landed back in the U.S. while the president was speaking with reporters following a rally in South Carolina. Trump expressed his expectation that Hubbard would visit the White House within the next day or so.

Hubbard was imprisoned in Russia for more than four years due to accusations of fighting for Ukraine. The U.S. government had deemed his detention wrongful. Just before Hubbard's departure from St. Petersburg, his son, Joseph Coleman, spoke to him on the phone and noted that Hubbard sounded better than he had during their last conversation in May 2025. Coleman expressed his desire to see his son and personally assess his health to ensure his well-being.

Hubbard, who is 74 years old, touched down in San Antonio, Texas, where he will undergo a routine medical evaluation, as is standard practice for prisoners released from overseas. Hubbard was captured in Ukraine shortly after Russia initiated its full-scale invasion in 2022 and was accused of manning a checkpoint for mercenaries. He was subsequently sentenced to nearly seven years in a penal colony. Hubbard's family has consistently refuted the charges against him.

President Trump claimed on social media that he had personally requested the release of Hubbard from Russian President Vladimir Putin, and that no swap was necessary. However, Trump also stated that Hubbard would not have been released if the White House had not halted new sanctions against Russia from taking effect last week. CBS News national security analyst Elliot Ackerman, a retired Marine and former officer at the CIA, suggested that Hubbard's release may have been driven by short-term interests related to fuel prices.

Steve Witkoff, a U.S. special envoy, praised Putin after Hubbard's release, referring to him as a "humanitarian." This statement generated bipartisan criticism. Despite the goodwill expressed following Hubbard's release, Russia continued its major strikes on Ukraine overnight, targeting Kyiv and nearly half of all Ukrainian regions with 21 missiles.

Ackerman suggested that Hubbard's release appears to be a smaller gesture within a broader pattern of appeasing actions between President Trump and Putin, which are contrary to Ukraine's interests in the ongoing war.