Freed veteran endured beatings and stun gun shocks in Russian jails

Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old American veteran, was released from Russian custody on Thursday after four and a half years. The Kremlin freed the retired English teacher on the same day US special envoy Steve Witkoff met with Vladimir Putin in St Petersburg to discuss the war in Ukraine. Hubbard’s release follows a phone call between US President Donald Trump and the Russian leader, where Trump said he asked Putin to free the detainee.

Two Ukrainian men who were imprisoned with Hubbard provide new details about the conditions he faced. Dmytro Khyliuk, a journalist, and Ihor Shyshko, a captured soldier, spent time in the same facilities as Hubbard. Their accounts align with statements made by Hubbard’s family regarding the physical abuse he endured while awaiting trial and serving his sentence.

Shyshko said he witnessed guards physically assault Hubbard, hitting him on the legs, back, and arms. He also reported that officers used a stun gun on the American. According to Shyshko, Hubbard was forced to learn Russian, sing the national anthem, and recite prison rules he could not read because of his limited literacy. The former soldier stated that Hubbard was denied adequate food and medical care and was kept in cold temperatures.

Khyliuk first met Hubbard in September 2022 at the Novozybkov prison in the Bryansk region. He recalled guards singling out the American during inspections, using obscene language, and mocking him. Khyliuk described the prison environment as deteriorating, with broken windows and bitter cold that forced detainees to huddle in bathrooms for warmth. He noted that Hubbard’s health declined over the months, leading to more frequent visits to the prison doctor.

The men were later transferred to the Pakino facility, where Shyshko said Hubbard’s condition worsened. Shyshko described visible rot on Hubbard’s knees and feet, a condition he treated with bandages after a doctor refused to do so. He recalled Hubbard being weak and barely able to move. The prisoners described a daily routine that included beatings, forced running, and stress positions, along with a diet consisting mainly of porridge, bread, and potatoes.

Khyliuk claimed that prison officials hid Hubbard from International Red Cross inspectors shortly after the transfer to Pakino to conceal his physical state. The Red Cross stated that it asks to see every individual granted access and continues talks with conflict parties on the issue. Khyliuk, who returned to Ukraine in a prisoner exchange in August 2025, said he assumed Hubbard was released in 2024 when he vanished from the prison roll.

Hubbard was captured in April 2022 in Izyum, Ukraine, where he lived with his Ukrainian partner. Russian soldiers accused him of serving in Ukraine's armed forces. He was convicted at a trial in Moscow and sentenced to six years and ten months. Witkoff referred to Putin as a humanitarian following the release, while Khyliuk characterized the timing of the release as political strategy for the US president facing congressional elections.