Trump says Putin freed Stephen Hubbard from Russian prison without a swap
Donald Trump said he asked Vladimir Putin during a phone call last week to release Stephen Hubbard, and that Putin agreed without a prisoner exchange. The New York Post reported that Hubbard, a 74-year-old retired American teacher, was released from a Russian prison and is returning to his family.
AI-assisted synthesis · Based on 5 outlets' reporting · Article text read from 1 of 5 outletsHow it's made
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Key facts
- Trump said he requested Hubbard’s release in a phone call with Vladimir Putin last week.
- Hubbard, a 74-year-old retired American teacher, was released from a Russian prison and is returning to his family.
- Trump said Putin agreed to release Hubbard without a prisoner exchange.
- Hubbard was accused of fighting as a mercenary for Ukraine.
The brief
Donald Trump said he asked Vladimir Putin to release Stephen Hubbard during a phone call last week, and that Putin agreed to free the 74-year-old American without requiring a prisoner exchange. The New York Post reported that Hubbard has been released from a Russian prison and is returning to his family. Trump described the release as a personal request made to Putin. In the New York Post’s account, Trump also credited his own presidency for the outcome and blamed former President Joe Biden for Hubbard’s long imprisonment. The outlet quoted Trump’s social-media post: “What a difference a President makes!”
Hubbard is a retired American teacher who had been imprisoned since 2022, according to the New York Post. Russian authorities accused him of fighting as a mercenary for Ukraine. The outlet said Russian state media reported that Hubbard pleaded guilty to the charges during a closed trial. Hubbard’s lawyer, Martin de Luca, gave a conflicting account of the allegation. In June 2025, de Luca said Hubbard maintained that the charges were false and that he had not served in combat or belonged to any military unit. The reported guilty plea and the lawyer’s account of Hubbard’s position are distinct claims; the New York Post’s text does not resolve that conflict. De Luca also said Hubbard’s legal team learned in April 2025 that he was being held in a facility in the Mordovia region, east of Moscow. The New York Post reported that Hubbard was later released, but its account does not specify the date of his release or the travel arrangements for his return to his family. The release follows Trump’s reported phone request to Putin. The account says no Russian prisoner was required in exchange, but does not identify any agreement beyond the release itself. Trump’s description of the outcome and the circumstances of Hubbard’s detention are reported alongside the accusation and the lawyer’s account disputing it; no further statement from Putin is included.
Why it matters
- Hubbard, a 74-year-old retired American teacher, had been imprisoned since 2022 and is now reported to be returning to his family.
- The reported release required no prisoner exchange, according to Trump, leaving the stated mechanism as his phone request to Vladimir Putin.
- The case includes conflicting accounts of Hubbard’s legal position: Russian state media said he pleaded guilty, while his lawyer said Hubbard maintained the charges were false.
What to watch next
- Whether Stephen Hubbard returns to his family, as the New York Post reported.
- Whether Trump or Vladimir Putin provides further details about the phone request and the terms of the release.
- Whether Martin de Luca or Russian authorities make further statements about the accusation or the reported guilty plea.
How it's being covered
Coverage analysisShow details5 source articles · 5 unique outletsOutlet political mix: Mixed· 1 Left · 3 Center · 1 RightWhere the outlets are based: US/Canada 80% · Global 20%
- Coverage is currently concentrated among outlets based in US/Canada (4 of 5 geographically-identified sources).
One source is from a wire service (AP, Reuters, AFP or Bloomberg), whose reporting other outlets often republish.
How outlets' accounts compare
Timeline
Developments from this story's sources, dated background we compiled and fact-checked, and our earlier coverage. Each row says which.- Russia’s Criminal Code, adopted in 1996, makes recruiting, training, financing or using mercenaries a criminal offense under Article 359.Background · from our historical context
- NATO’s Bucharest Summit declaration said Ukraine and Georgia would become members of the alliance.Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
- Vladimir Putin signed a treaty with Crimean leaders to incorporate Crimea into Russia; Ukraine rejected the annexation.Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
- Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany agreed to the Minsk II package of measures for the Donbas conflict.Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
- Stephen Hubbard’s detention began in Ukraine in 2022, before his case became a subject of public dispute in the United States.Background · from our historical context
- Hubbard was detained after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022.Background · from our historical context
- In October 2024, a Russian court sentenced him to six years and 10 months in prison on the mercenary charge.Background · from our historical context
How we got here
Stephen Hubbard’s detention began in Ukraine in 2022, before his case became a subject of public dispute in the United States.
Russian authorities accused the retired American teacher of fighting for Ukraine as a mercenary; Hubbard’s U.S.-based lawyer, Martin de Luca, said in June 2025 that Hubbard denied the accusation and maintained that he had never fought or belonged to a military unit. Russian state media reported that Hubbard pleaded guilty during a closed trial.
Original sources
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