Stephen James Hubbard, a 72-year-old U.S. citizen, pleaded guilty on Monday in a Moscow court to charges of mercenary activity, admitting he received payment to fight for Ukraine against Russia, according to the Russian state news agency RIA.
“Yes, I agree with the indictment,” RIA quoted Hubbard as saying in court.
Hubbard, who was placed in pre-trial detention last week for six months, faces a potential sentence of seven to 15 years if convicted.
According to a prosecutor cited by RIA, Hubbard signed a contract with a Ukrainian territorial defense unit in the central city of Izyum at the onset of the conflict in February 2022. The prosecution alleges he was promised $1,000 a month and provided with training, weapons, and ammunition. Russian soldiers reportedly detained Hubbard on April 2 of that year.
However, Hubbard’s sister, Patricia Fox, refuted these claims in an interview with Reuters. “He is so non-military,” Fox said. “He never had a gun, owned a gun, done any of that…He’s more of a pacifist.”
Fox described her brother as a long-time English teacher who had worked abroad for decades, including in Japan and Cyprus. She stated that Hubbard had moved to Ukraine in 2014 and lived there for a time with a woman, surviving on a small pension.
The U.S. Embassy in Moscow has not yet commented on the case.
Hubbard’s situation highlights the complexities surrounding foreign involvement in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. He is one of at least 10 Americans currently detained in Russia, despite a major prisoner swap between Russia and the West on August 1 that freed three Americans and dozens of others.
As the case proceeds, it raises questions about the treatment of foreign nationals caught in the crossfire of international conflicts and the diplomatic challenges in securing their release.
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