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Prosecutors asked the court to take into account 72-year-old
Stephen Hubbard’s age and said he has admitted guilt, according
to Interfax. They asked that Hubbard serve the sentence in a
maximum-security penal colony.
In Russia, participating in mercenary activities is a criminal
offense punishable by imprisonment for a term of 7-15 years.
Prosecutors accuse Hubbard of signing a contract with the
Ukrainian military after Russia sent troops into Ukraine in
February 2022, for which he allegedly was to receive at least
$1,000.
He reportedly underwent training, received a personal firearm
and fought in the Ukrainian military as a mercenary until April
2022, when he was detained by the Russian military.
The U.S. Embassy in Moscow told The Associated Press it was
“aware of the reports of the arrest of an American citizen,” but
said it could not comment any further “due to privacy
restrictions”.
Russian courts convict more than 99% of defendants, and
prosecutors can appeal sentences that they regard as too
lenient.
Arrests of Americans have become increasingly common in Russia
in recent years. Concern has risen that Russia could be
targeting U.S. nationals for arrest to later use as bargaining
chips in talks to bring back Russians convicted of crimes in the
U.S. and Europe.
The U.S. and Russia in August completed their largest prisoner
swap in post-Soviet history, a deal involving 24 people, many
months of negotiations and concessions from other European
countries who released Russians in their custody as part of the
exchange. Several U.S. citizens remain behind bars in Russia
following the swap.
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