A Russian court sentenced an American citizen, 72 years old, to almost seven-years in prison for allegedly fighting for Ukraine as a mercenary.
Prosecutors claimed Stephen James Hubbard served in a defence group based in Izyum, a city in eastern Ukraine, when he was taken by Russian forces on April 20, 2022. This was shortly after Moscow began its full-scale invasion in Ukraine.
Hubbard received “material compensation” on a regular basis for his participation in war on the Ukrainian‘s side, according to a statement from the Russian Prosecutor-General.
He was sentenced to six years and ten months in a penal colony.
According to Russian state-run media, Hubbard, who is a native Michigander, pleaded guilty last week to the charges.
Patricia Fox, Hubbard’s sister, told Reuters that Hubbard was pro-Russian and unlikely to have taken arms at his age.
Ms Fox told Reuters that her brother was “so non-military.” She added that he “never owned a firearm, never had a weapon, and has never done anything like that… He’s a pacifist.
Ms Fox reported that Hubbard moved to Ukraine in 2014. He lived there with a woman for a while, living off a small pension. He and his partner split up, but he continued to live in Ukraine.
Hubbard’s case was only made public after his trial in Moscow began in September 2022. Although he was detained by Russian Forces in early 2022.
In a video released by Russian authorities, Hubbard is seen with difficulty walking inside the glass box of the defendants in the courtroom he was sentenced to on Monday.
Izyum, a city in eastern Ukraine where Hubbard was held, was captured by Russia shortly after it invaded Ukraine. It was liberated in the fall of 2022 by Ukrainian troops.
In a separate incident, Robert Gilman, a former US marine who had already served time in Russia due to an assault conviction, received seven years and one-month in prison for assaulting a jail officer.
At least 10 US citizens are currently in prison in Russia. In August, a number of Americans were freed in a prisoner exchange between Moscow and the West.
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