Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old American teacher released from Russian prison this week, endured horrific physical and sexual abuse, including being forced to crawl like a dog, according to a former fellow inmate. Ihor Shishko, who was imprisoned alongside Hubbard in the Bryansk region of western Russia, described the conditions as worse than animalistic.
Hubbard was freed on Wednesday after more than four years of detention, during which he was convicted of fighting as a mercenary in Ukraine. US envoy Steve Witkoff, present for Hubbard's release in St. Petersburg, lauded Russian President Vladimir Putin as a "humanitarian."
However, Shishko, a former Ukrainian prisoner now running a veteran’s rehabilitation center, condemned Witkoff's remarks as "shameful and despicable." Shishko told The Times that Hubbard faced electric shock torture and sexual abuse, including forced genital touching in exchange for food. He also recounted bandaging Hubbard's knees after they were raw from being forced to crawl on the prison floor.
Shishko asserted that prison guards specifically targeted Hubbard because he was American. "It was to show us our place, to show that they hated us, and for their own pleasure," Shishko said. "Every time there was a rotation of guards and they heard there was an American there, it was like, ‘where is the American? Bring him here.’ And they were more harsh in his case because he was unusual."
Adding to his ordeal, Hubbard experienced severe social isolation due to his inability to speak Russian or Ukrainian. "For Stephen, it was mentally harder too because he didn’t understand why he was being held," Shishko explained. "The Ukrainians more or less had accepted their fate, but he always tried to explain why he shouldn’t be here and that he had rights."
Shishko maintained that it was evident Hubbard had never been a soldier. Hubbard, a US Air Force veteran, had taught English overseas and retired to Cyprus before moving to Ukraine to be with a woman he had met. He remained in Ukraine after their relationship ended, his lawyers stated.
Russian prosecutors claimed Hubbard signed a contract with the Ukrainian military after Russia's 2022 invasion and fought for Kyiv before his capture two months later. He was sentenced to seven years in prison in 2024. Hubbard's family and legal team have consistently denied the accusations that he engaged in any military activity.
Hubbard's sister, Patricia Hubbard Fox, told The Associated Press that her brother was "bait" and that Russian authorities target Americans to use as bargaining chips. "Steven James Hubbard is the face of America," she said. "They could do that to anybody. They just happened to see him. ‘Oh, that’s an American, let’s go get him.'"
Hubbard reportedly did not know he was being released until he boarded the plane and saw the American flag. He was taken to San Antonio for evaluation and is expected to visit the White House soon, according to President Trump.
