Hubbard reportedly joined a Ukrainian territorial defense battalion, made up of volunteer soldiers.
DR
Russian justice must rule on Monday on the fate of a 72-year-old American, accused of having been a “mercenary” in the service of Ukraine, detained in secret for more than two years and tried behind closed doors. The court must deliver its verdict as Washington accuses Moscow of specifically targeting American nationals in Russia in order to then be able to exchange them for Russians detained in the West.
This American, identified by media as Stefan or Stephen Hubbard, was taken prisoner on April 2, 2022, according to Russia, but it was not until September 27, 2024 that Moscow made public the fact that he was detained, on the first day of his trial.
This man, aged 72 according to the court, appeared aged, walking slowly and dragging his feet during a hearing on Thursday, during which the court ordered that the rest of the discussions take place behind closed doors, which had been accepted by the defense. This hearing lasted less than three hours, before the court announced its verdict for Monday.
Defense Battalion
Accused of “mercenarism” on behalf of Ukraine, Mr. Hubbard faces a sentence of between 7 and 15 years in prison. The prosecution did not indicate what its indictment was. Russian news agencies claim that he admitted the facts.
According to the prosecution, Mr. Hubbard joined a Ukrainian territorial defense battalion, made up of volunteer soldiers, and, as such, was paid “at least $1,000 per month”, underwent training, received a uniform and weapons and “took part in the armed conflict” in Ukraine.
According to the Russian state news agency TASS, Mr. Hubbard had lived since 2014 in Izium, a city in the Kharkiv region, in northeastern Ukraine. This city of 45,000 inhabitants before the conflict had been occupied by Russian forces from spring 2022 until the fall of the same year, when they were driven out by a Ukrainian counter-offensive.
No further information was given as to the circumstances of his arrest.
“Military information”
In a video cited by Russian state media, available on YouTube and dated May 2022, a man with a thick beard introduces himself as Stephen James Hubbard, born in Big Rapids, Michigan. He mentions the Russian occupation.
Several other Westerners, particularly Americans, are incarcerated in Russia. Among them, Ksenia Karelina, a Russian-American national, was sentenced to 12 years in prison in August for donating around fifty dollars to an organization supporting Ukraine.
Frenchman Laurent Vinatier, a researcher specializing in the post-Soviet space and working for a Swiss NGO, is on trial for not having registered as a “foreign agent” while he was collecting “military information “. He faces up to five years in prison and has pleaded guilty.
Two Colombian citizens, Alexander Ante and Jose Aron Medina Aranda, are also detained in Russia and accused of “mercenarism” for fighting in Ukraine.
On August 1, Moscow and the West carried out the largest exchange of prisoners since the Cold War: it involved Russian and Western journalists and opponents on one side and suspected Russian agents on the other.
(afp)
