Freed American Stephen Hubbard Did Not Know of Release Until Seeing U.S. Flag, Sister Says
Photo: APStephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old retired teacher from Michigan, was freed Wednesday after more than four years in a Russian prison, and his younger sister said he did not realize he was being released until he was put aboard a plane and saw the American flag. Patricia Hubbard Fox spoke Thursday in San Antonio, where he was taken for evaluation. She said he did not know why he was being moved from prison to Moscow and may have thought he was going to his death. President Donald Trump said he asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to free Hubbard during a phone call earlier this month.
Russia accused Hubbard of fighting alongside Ukrainian forces after the 2022 full-scale invasion, and he was sentenced in closed proceedings in 2024 to nearly seven years. The Biden administration had designated him wrongfully detained, and his legal team denied any military involvement. Hubbard Fox said he was starved and beaten, and that fellow Ukrainian inmates had to carry him.
Left-leaning HuffPost and right-leaning New York Post carry the same Associated Press text, leading with the sister's account of the flag moment, her description of his treatment, and Trump's request to Putin. The alternative source, AP, provides only a short excerpt with the same lead, so no separate framing emerges. The sides do not differ on the facts in these articles.
How the sides differ All three sources run essentially the same wire text on the sister's account; the alternative source's excerpt is truncated, so no real difference in emphasis appears.
Headline, comparison and summary written by AI from the articles below. AI can make mistakes, so check the original articles before relying on a detail.
HuffPost leads with the sister's account of the flag moment, quoting her on his relief, his mistreatment and the guards' words, alongside Trump's request to Putin and the earlier wrongful-detention designation.
AP's excerpt gives only the opening: the sister saying Hubbard learned of his release on seeing the American flag aboard the plane, with her first quote about his fear of going to his death.
The New York Post carries the same account, led by the sister's interview and quotes, with Trump's request to Putin, the charges against Hubbard, and the Biden-era wrongful-detention designation.