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He was accused of serving as a mercenary in Ukraine/ The Russian court sentences the American to prison

2024-10-07 11:46:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

He was accused of serving as a mercenary in Ukraine/ The Russian court sentences

A Russian court has sentenced American citizen Stephen James Hubbard to six years and 10 months in prison after finding him guilty of serving as a mercenary in Ukraine in a closed-door trial.

Investigators said Hubbard, 72, of Michigan, was paid $1,000 a month to serve in a Ukrainian military protection unit in the eastern city of Izum, where he had lived since 2014.

State news agency RIA quoted the prosecutor as saying last month that Hubbard was arrested by Russian soldiers on April 2, 2022, just weeks after Moscow sent thousands of troops to Ukraine.

Russian state media said Hubbard has pleaded guilty to the charges. But in an interview last month, Hubbard's sister and mother, as well as his relatives, cast doubt on his guilty plea, saying he held pro-Russian views and that there was little chance he would have caught gun in hand at this age.

"He is very unmilitary," his sister Patricia Hubbard Fox told Reuters last month.

"He never had a gun, not even a revolver. He is more of a pacifist," she added.

A spokesman for the US Embassy in Moscow said they are aware of the arrest of an American citizen, but did not provide details.

Hubbard is one of at least 10 Americans imprisoned in Russia. Two months ago, Moscow and the West exchanged prisoners, including three American citizens./ REL

 

 





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