Russia frees American Stephen Hubbard after more than four years in prison; sister describes his ordeal

Russia on Wednesday freed Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old retired teacher from Michigan, after he spent more than four years in a Russian prison, and he has since landed back in the United States. President Donald Trump said he had asked Russian President Vladimir Putin during a phone call earlier this month to release him. Hubbard was accused of fighting alongside Ukrainian forces after Russia's 2022 invasion and was sentenced in 2024, in closed proceedings, to nearly seven years. The Biden administration had designated him wrongfully detained, and his legal team denied any military involvement. His younger sister, Patricia Hubbard Fox, said in San Antonio on Thursday that he was taken there for evaluation, and that he was starved and beaten in prison.

Right-leaning Newsmax leads with the sister's account of speaking to her brother by phone and his disbelief at being freed. Left-leaning HuffPost, using AP text, features her detailed account of his treatment and his not knowing he was being released until he saw the U.S. flag; CBS News briefly relays Trump's announcement of his return. AP, in the alternative group, frames the release as a deal completed during a visit by a top U.S. envoy, at a time when Trump has taken actions seen as benefiting Moscow.