{
  "id": 15869556,
  "title": "American Stephen Hubbard released by Russia, Steve Witkoff says",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/21/american-stephen-hubbard-released-by-russia-steve-witkoff-says",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-21T09:58:58.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "CBS News",
    "slug": "cbs-news",
    "url": "https://www.cbsnews.com/news/russia-stephen-hubbard-freed-american-ukraine-war-witkoff-putin/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff disclosed that American citizen Stephen Hubbard, jailed in Russia for over four years, has been released, during a Wednesday meeting with President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg. Witkoff, representing the Trump administration, expressed gratitude to Putin for Hubbard's freedom. Hubbard, a 74-year-old Michigan resident, was the last American formally declared wrongfully detained by the State Department. He was expected to be transported to Texas for medical treatment at a military hospital due to his frail health. In the weeks leading up to Hubbard's release, the U.S. had waived certain sanctions on Russia. This development follows the return of American Robert Gilman, who was freed in August after his health declined, and previous releases of Marc Fogel, Evan Gershkovich, and Paul Whelan in a prisoner swap. The U.S. remains under a Level 4 \"Do Not Travel\" advisory for Russia, warning citizens of the risks of wrongful detention and limited consular assistance. Despite multiple releases of American prisoners, Russia has not been designated as a state sponsor of wrongful detention by the U.S. However, some detained Americans, like Aleksandr Antonov, remain without formal declarations of wrongful detention by the U.S. government.",
  "summary": "Stephen Hubbard, a U.S. citizen jailed in Russia since 2022, has been released, according to U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 5,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Al Jazeera",
        "title": "Witkoff in Russia for Putin meeting after ‘positive’ talks with Zelenskyy",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/21/witkoff-in-russia-for-putin-meeting-after-positive-talks-with",
        "published": "2026-10-21T07:37:19.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The National UAE",
        "title": "Putin says Russia has freed US citizen Stephen Hubbard",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/21/putin-says-russia-has-freed-us-citizen-stephen-hubbard-15878006",
        "published": "2026-10-21T11:10:42.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Jerusalem Post",
        "title": "Russia releases wrongfully detained US citizen Hubbard following Witkoff-Putin meeting",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/21/russia-releases-wrongfully-detained-us-citizen-hubbard-following",
        "published": "2026-10-21T11:28:51.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "PBS NewsHour",
        "title": "Russia frees American Stephen Hubbard after over 4 years in prison, during a visit from U.S. envoy Witkoff",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/21/russia-frees-american-stephen-hubbard-after-over-4-years-in-prison",
        "published": "2026-10-21T13:15:29.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}