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Russia Sentences 72-Year-Old American Stephen Hubbard to Nearly Seven Years on Mercenary Charges in Closed-Door Trial

Oct 7, 2024, 10:03 AM

On October 7, 2024, a Russian court sentenced Stephen Hubbard, a 72-year-old American citizen from Michigan, to six years and ten months in prison for serving as a mercenary in the conflict in Ukraine. The Moscow City Court held the closed-door trial and convicted Hubbard under charges that carry a potential sentence of 7 to 15 years. Prosecutors had sought a sentence of seven years. Hubbard is the first American known to have been convicted on charges of fighting as a mercenary in the Ukraine conflict. He was accused of signing a contract with a Ukrainian territorial defense unit in Izyum and fighting against Russian forces before being captured in 2022. His family has cast doubt on his reported confession.