...
By Jon Jackson
News Editor
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
A Russian court on Monday sentenced a 72-year-old American to six years and 10 months in prison for allegedly fighting for Ukraine in its war against Russia.
Prosecutors accuse Stephen Hubbard of Michigan of fighting as a contracted mercenary for Ukraine until his capture by Russian troops a couple of months after the war broke out in 2022. Hubbard is the first American known to have been convicted on charges of fighting as a mercenary in the Ukraine-Russia war.
Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. According to prosecutors, Hubbard allegedly signed a contract to fight alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's military the same month as the start of the invasion and was paid $1,000 per month.
Read More on News
Hubbard allegedly served in a Ukrainian territorial defense unit in the city of Izyum, located in the Kharkiv Oblast, where prosecutors said he had been living since 2014 until his capture on April 2, 2022.
...
The charges against Hubbard carried a potential maximum sentence of 15 years, but prosecutors reportedly asked for a more lenient sentence of seven years due to his age and his admission of guilt.
However, Hubbard's sister Patricia Fox and another relative have cast doubt on his alleged confection. Last month, they told Reuters that Hubbard harbored pro-Russian views, and they also felt he would not likely be engaging in conflict at the age of 72.
"He is so non-military," Fox told Reuters during a telephone interview. "He never had a gun, owned a gun, done any of that...He's more of a pacifist."
The Russian state media outlet RIA Novosti reported that Hubbard will appeal the verdict. Additionally, the U.S. Embassy in Moscow told the news agency Interfax it is attempting to get consular access to Hubbard.
Hubbard wasn't the only American who was sentenced by a Russian court on Monday.
In the city of Voronezh, Robert Gilman was sentenced to seven years and one month for allegedly assaulting law enforcement officers while serving another sentence.
Gilman, a former U.S. marine, was first arrested in 2022 for allegedly causing a disturbance while intoxicated on a passenger train in Russia. The American then allegedly assaulted a police officer while in custody and was given a 3.5 year sentence.
In 2023, Gilman was accused of assaulting a prison inspector during a check of his jail cell, as well as striking an official of the Investigative Committee. RIA Novosti reported that these alleged assaults resulted in Gilman receiving a new jail sentence on Monday of seven years and one month.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines