Veteran Freed After Russian Detention
PHOTO CAPTION: President Donald Trump shakes hands with U.S. Air Force veteran Stephen Hubbard during an Oval Office meeting on October 30, 2026, after Hubbard's release from more than four years in Russian custody. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
A 74-year-old U.S. Air Force veteran who spent more than four years in Russian custody told President Donald Trump that he believed he would have died if he had remained imprisoned much longer.
Stephen Hubbard, a retired teacher and former airman, made the emotional admission during an October 30 meeting in the Oval Office, just nine days after his release from Russian custody.
"I wouldn't have lasted another year," Hubbard told the president as his family joined him at the White House.
His return ended an ordeal that began in 2022, when Russian forces arrested him in eastern Ukraine shortly after Russia's full-scale invasion.
Four Years in Russian Custody
Hubbard had been living in Ukraine when Russian forces detained him and accused him of serving as a mercenary for the Ukrainian military.
Russian authorities alleged that he had accepted money to fight against Russian troops. He was eventually convicted and sentenced to nearly seven years in prison.
Hubbard's legal representatives disputed the allegations, maintaining that he had not participated in military operations.
His U.S. military background was confirmed by the Air Force.
According to service records provided to Military Times, Hubbard entered active duty in March 1974 and served as an administration specialist. His final assignment was at Mather Air Force Base in California, where he served as an airman first class before leaving active duty in March 1978.
He later served in the Air National Guard.
By the time he was released, Hubbard had spent approximately four and a half years in Russian custody.
He Didn't Believe He Was Coming Home
During Friday's White House meeting, Hubbard explained that he had been told repeatedly he might be released, but years of uncertainty had left him unwilling to believe those promises.
He said the moment finally became real when prison officials gave him fresh clothing and escorted him outside.
Only after seeing a waiting vehicle and beginning the journey from Moscow to St. Petersburg did he believe he was actually leaving prison.
When Trump asked whether he thought he would remain imprisoned for many more years, Hubbard said yes.
A family member expressed concern that the family might have lost him had he remained incarcerated.
Hubbard then explained that he did not believe he could have survived another year.
Despite the ordeal, he acknowledged that some Russian guards had treated him sympathetically.
Trump praised Hubbard's resilience and welcomed him home.
Trump Says He Personally Asked Putin for His Release
Hubbard was freed on October 21 following discussions between American and Russian officials.
U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff traveled to St. Petersburg, where the release was announced during meetings involving Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Trump said he personally asked Putin to release Hubbard and that Russia agreed without requiring another prisoner to be exchanged.
Witkoff also confirmed that the release was not part of a conventional prisoner swap.
However, questions remain about the broader diplomatic negotiations.
Trump has suggested that his decision to withhold additional sanctions on Russia helped preserve the negotiations that secured Hubbard's freedom.
The administration's decision to waive certain sanctions had drawn criticism from lawmakers concerned about maintaining pressure on Moscow over its war in Ukraine.
Trump argued that imposing those sanctions during the negotiations could have jeopardized Hubbard's release.
The precise diplomatic terms surrounding the agreement have not been independently established.
A Veteran Finally Comes Home
Hubbard's release is part of a broader effort to bring Americans detained in Russia back to the United States.
Other Americans, including teacher Marc Fogel and former detainees Ksenia Karelina and Robert Gilman, have also been released through negotiations involving the Trump administration.
For Hubbard, Friday's meeting was less about international diplomacy than the reality of finally returning home after years of uncertainty.
At 74, after more than four years behind bars and a prison sentence that could have kept him in Russia for years longer, the former airman was finally able to speak publicly about his experience.
His admission that he might not have survived another year underscored how much was at stake in securing his freedom.
(Source: OAF Nation)
