American man sentenced to nearly seven years in Russian prison for alleged mercenary activity

A 72-year-old American,

Stephen James Hubbard

, has been sentenced to nearly seven years in a Russian remote prison settlements for allegedly fighting as a

mercenary for Ukraine

, as reported by BBC. Prosecutors claimed that Hubbard was part of a defence unit in

Izyum

when he was captured by Russian forces in April 2022, shortly after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine commenced.

The

Russian Prosecutor general

's office said that Hubbard "systematically received material compensation" for his involvement in the conflict on the Ukrainian side. He received a sentence of 6 years and 10 months in prison. Hubbard, originally from

Michigan

, pleaded guilty to the charges last week, according to Russian state media.
However, his sister, Patricia Fox, disputed the allegations, asserting that her brother held

pro-Russian views

and was unlikely to have engaged in combat at his age. “He is so non-military,” she told

Reuters

, adding that he "never had a gun, owned a gun, done any of that... He's more of a pacifist."
Hubbard moved to Ukraine in 2014 and lived there with a partner until their split, surviving on a small pension. His case came to light when his trial began in Moscow in September, despite his detention in early 2022.
Currently, at least ten US nationals remain behind bars in Russia, with some released in a

prisoner swap

in August.