72-year-old US citizen sentenced to six years in Russian prison for fighting on behalf of Ukraine

A Russian court on Monday sentenced U.S. citizen Stephen Hubbard to six years and ten months in prison for fighting as a mercenary in Ukraine, Reuters reported.

Russian investigators claimed the 72-year-old Michigan native, who moved to Ukraine in 2014, was paid $1,000 a month to defend the city of Izyum, according to the outlet. Hubbard pleaded guilty to the charges in a Moscow court last month following more than two years in captivity.

“Yes, I agree with the charges,” Hubbard said in his September plea hearing at Moscow City Court.

In addition to the prison sentence, the court ordered 142,000 hryvnias ($3,400) to be confiscated from Hubbard and paid to the Russian state, according to NBC News. The defendant has been in custody since April 2, 2022.

Hubbard’s sister, Patricia Fox, denied the charges, claiming her brother is “more of a pacifist” and was too old for combat.

“He is so non-military,” Fox told Reuters. “He never had a gun, owned a gun, done any of that.”

Robert Gilman, a 30-year-old former U.S. marine arrested for allegedly assaulting a prison officer and state investigator, was also sentenced Monday, receiving a sentence of seven years and one month.

Hubbard and Gilman are two of at least 10 U.S. citizens still incarcerated in Russia after the country agreed to a prisoner swap in August that freed Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and former marine Paul Whelan.

WNBA star Brittney Griner was released from Russian prison on Dec. 8, 2022, after reportedly pleading guilty to drug charges in July 2022. Her return was orchestrated by the Biden-Harris administration, who swapped an arms dealer known as “The Merchant of Death” in exchange for Griner.

The U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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