Russia releases American teacher after Trump requests prisoner's freedom

Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the release of American teacher Stephen Hubbard on October 21, 2026. Putin made the announcement during a meeting with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff in St. Petersburg. Hubbard, who is 74 years old and from Michigan, had been held in Russia for more than four years. Russian forces detained him in eastern Ukraine in 2022, after Russia's full-scale invasion began. In 2024, a Russian court sentenced him to nearly seven years in prison for allegedly fighting as a mercenary. President Trump had asked Putin to free Hubbard in a phone call the week before. Russia did not receive anyone in return for his release. Hubbard was already at St. Petersburg's Pulkovo Airport when Putin made the announcement.