Russia Frees American Stephen Hubbard as Putin Hosts US Envoy Witkoff in St. Petersburg
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the release of Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old retired American schoolteacher from Michigan, from a Russian prison on October 21, 2026. The release came during a meeting between Putin and White House envoy Steve Witkoff at Constantine Palace in St. Petersburg. Hubbard had been detained by Russian forces in eastern Ukraine in 2022 and sentenced to nearly seven years in prison in a closed 2024 trial on charges of serving as a mercenary in the Ukrainian army.
Stephen Hubbard, a former schoolteacher and Michigan native, was held at St. Petersburg's Pulkovo airport awaiting departure from Russia at the time Putin publicly confirmed his release. The Biden administration had formally designated Hubbard as wrongfully detained. His son, Father Joseph Coleman, issued a statement saying the family had "been gravely concerned for his safety and health since his 2022 detention" and thanked both President Trump and President Putin for securing the release, according to NPR.
The release was announced during introductory remarks at the Witkoff-Putin meeting, which was formally focused on a new U.S. peace proposal for Ukraine. Witkoff thanked Putin for arranging the release, and Putin confirmed Hubbard was already at the airport. Russian state media later broadcast footage of Hubbard shaking hands with Witkoff, with Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev present. President Trump celebrated the news on Truth Social, writing "Welcome home Stephen, it's great to have you back," and stated the U.S. had not given "anything in return," adding that "there was no 'swap' necessary for this release," per NPR.
At the meeting, Putin also announced that the first tankers carrying 60,000 tons of Russian diesel fuel — part of a broader agreement in which Trump lifted some sanctions on Moscow — would be departing for the U.S. within "2 or 3 days," according to NPR. A Kremlin aide, Yuri Ushakov, told journalists that Putin had agreed to restart three-way peace negotiations among the U.S., Russia, and Ukraine beginning in mid-November. Prior to arriving in St. Petersburg, Witkoff met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Norway's Prime Minister, and Finland's President in Oslo.