[Craig Nigrelli]

A RUSSIAN COURT SENTENCED A 72-YEAR-OLD AMERICAN TO NEARLY SEVEN YEARS IN PRISON MONDAY FOR FIGHTING AS A MERCENARY IN UKRAINE. PROSECUTORS SAY STEPHEN HUBBARD , ORIGINALLY FROM MICHIGAN, SIGNED A CONTRACT WITH UKRAINE’S MILITARY AFTER RUSSIA’S INVASION IN 2022 AND WAS PAID $1,000 A MONTH TO FIGHT ALONGSIDE UKRAINIAN FORCES.

HE WAS CAPTURED BY RUSSIAN TROOPS IN APRIL 2022 IN THE CITY OF IZYUM, WHICH WAS UNDER RUSSIAN OCCUPATION AT THE TIME.

ACCORDING TO RUSSIAN PROSECUTORS, HUBBARD UNDERWENT MILITARY TRAINING, RECEIVED A UNIFORM AND WEAPONS, AND ACTIVELY TOOK PART IN THE FIGHTING.

HUBBARD’S TRIAL WAS LARGELY HELD BEHIND CLOSED DOORS, AND HE APPEARED IN POOR HEALTH DURING THE PROCEEDINGS. HIS CASE IS ONE OF THE FEW KNOWN INSTANCES OF A WESTERN NATIONAL BEING CONVICTED OF PARTICIPATING IN THE UKRAINE CONFLICT.

HIS DETENTION AND TRIAL FOLLOW A SERIES OF ARRESTS OF AMERICANS AND OTHER WESTERN NATIONALS BY RUSSIAN AUTHORITIES. THE CONVICTION OF AMERICANS, IN PARTICULAR, HAS FUELED CONCERNS THAT MOSCOW MAY BE TARGETING U.S. CITIZENS AS BARGAINING CHIPS IN FUTURE DIPLOMATIC NEGOTIATIONS.

THE U.S. GOVERNMENT HAS NOT PROVIDED EXTENSIVE DETAILS ON HUBBARD’S CASE BUT HAS ACKNOWLEDGED HIS DETENTION.

RUSSIA’S DETENTIONS OF WESTERN NATIONALS, COUPLED WITH ITS MILITARY OFFENSIVE IN UKRAINE, HAVE INTENSIFIED THE RIFT BETWEEN MOSCOW AND WESTERN GOVERNMENTS. AT LEAST 10 US NATIONALS ARE CURRENTLY BEHIND BARS IN RUSSIA.

IN RECENT YEARS, RUSSIA HAS ARRESTED NUMEROUS FOREIGNERS, ACCUSING THEM OF ESPIONAGE, MERCENARY ACTIVITIES, OR PETTY CRIMES. IN SOME CASES, DETAINEES HAVE BEEN SENTENCED TO LENGTHY PRISON TERMS IN RUSSIA’S NOTORIOUSLY HARSH PENAL SYSTEM.

ON THE SAME DAY, ANOTHER AMERICAN, ROBERT GILMAN, WAS SENTENCED TO OVER SEVEN YEARS IN A RUSSIAN PENAL COLONY FOR ASSAULTING PRISON STAFF. GILMAN WAS INITIALLY ARRESTED IN 2022 FOR CAUSING A DISTURBANCE WHILE INTOXICATED ON A PASSENGER TRAIN AND LATER ASSAULTED A POLICE OFFICER WHILE IN CUSTODY. HE IS CURRENTLY SERVING A 3 1/2-YEAR SENTENCE FOR THAT INCIDENT.