Russia puts American, 72, on trial as alleged mercenary for Ukraine
PHOTO CAPTION: Illustrative photo — Russian law enforcement officers are seen in Moscow, Russia, August 18, 2023. REUTERS/Shamil Zhumatov
(Reuters) - A Moscow court has begun considering a criminal case against a 72-year-old American accused of fighting as a mercenary for Ukraine, Russia's RIA state news agency reported on Friday.
The man, identified as Stephen James Hubbard, was placed in pre-trial detention for six months, RIA said.
The report did not specify when or where Hubbard was arrested. Reuters was not immediately able to contact his lawyer. The U.S. embassy in Russia and the Ukrainian ministry of foreign affairs did not immediately reply to messages seeking comment.
Charges of mercenary activity carry between seven and 15 years in prison in Russia.
RIA said Hubbard, a native of Michigan, had moved to Ukraine in 2014 and lived for time there with a woman.
In a public Facebook group, a woman identifying herself as Hubbard's sister said her brother had been "kidnapped up in the Ukraine" nearly three years ago.
The woman was not immediately available for comment.
Hubbard's next hearing is scheduled for Oct. 3, a notice on the court website showed.
(Reporting and writing by Lucy Papachristou; Editing by Mark Trevelyan and Peter Graff)
