Putin Frees 74-Year-Old American Teacher as US Envoy Visits St. Petersburg

Image: Collected

Russia has freed 74-year-old American Stephen Hubbard, a retired schoolteacher from Michigan who had been held in Russian custody since 2022, during a high-stakes meeting between US envoy Steve Witkoff and President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg. Hubbard was taken to Pulkovo Airport and is now on his way home, Russian state media reported.

A Release During Peace Talks

Putin announced the release as Witkoff arrived for talks on Ukraine peace proposals at the Constantine Palace. Witkoff thanked the Russian president directly, saying, “Because of you, he’s going home to his family.”

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the US side had raised Hubbard’s case for some time and that Putin ordered the release on “humanitarian considerations.”

Who Is Stephen Hubbard?

Hubbard, a former teacher, was detained by Russian forces in eastern Ukraine in April 2022 and later sentenced to 82 months in prison on charges of fighting as a mercenary for Ukraine. He denied the accusations, and the US State Department had designated him as wrongfully detained.

He had spent more than four years in Russian custody before Wednesday’s release.

Trump Says No Prisoner Swap

President Donald Trump said Hubbard was “on his way back home” and that no prisoner exchange was needed for the release. Trump credited Putin with agreeing to free Hubbard at his request, while also saying the release would not have happened if the White House had not paused new sanctions against Russia.

The release came as Witkoff and Putin discussed new US and European proposals for ending the war in Ukraine, including a possible ceasefire and resumed trilateral negotiations.