The Moscow City Court has begun proceedings against 72-year-old American retiree Stephen Hubbard.
Risk of Evading Justice
According to Russian media he faces charges of participating in an armed conflict as a mercenary on the side of Ukraine. Hubbard has been remanded in custody until March 26, 2025.
The judge announced the decision, stating, “The motion to place the accused in custody for six months, until March 26, 2025, is granted,” according to reports from the Russian news agency RIA Novosti.
Hubbard was escorted to the Moscow court by military police. The prosecutor argued for the American’s detention, citing the risk of him evading justice and the possibility of continued criminal activity.
Moved to Ukraine in 2014
According to the investigation team, the 72-year-old Michigan native moved to Ukraine in 2014 and became an active participant in military actions. He lived with a woman he considered his wife until she left him.
In May 2022, a video interview featuring Hubbard surfaced in the media, in which he claimed that the Ukrainian army was shelling the village of Izyum in the Kharkiv region for propaganda purposes. He also expressed the opinion that the Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF) were controlled by “foreign states.”
Under Russian law, making statements that could discredit the military or the state, especially regarding the conflict in Ukraine, is considered illegal and can lead to severe penalties.
The claim that the Ukrainian army was shelling Izyum for propaganda purposes suggests that the military was using such actions to gain public support or justify military actions.
It implies that the shelling was intended to create a narrative or image favorable to Ukraine while potentially causing civilian casualties, which could be leveraged to sway public opinion.
