Russia releases imprisoned American man, US envoy Witkoff says on visit to St. Petersburg
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Russia has released a retired American teacher who had been imprisoned on charges of fighting as a mercenary in Ukraine, U. S. envoy Steve Witkoff said Wednesday at a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg. The deal comes at a time when President Donald Trump has taken actions meant to benefit Moscow. Stephen Hubbard, of Michigan, was sentenced after a closed trial in 2024 to nearly seven years in prison. Prosecutors said he had signed a contract with the Ukrainian military after Russia sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022, and that he fought alongside them until being captured two months later. The U. S. government under the Biden administration designated Hubbard as wrongfully detained. Witkoff thanked Putin for releasing Hubbard, telling him, “Because of you, he’s going home to his family.” The Russian leader responded that Hubbard was at the St. Petersburg airport, Pulkovo, after the release. Witkoff has tried without success to steer Russia and Ukraine toward a settlement to end a war that will hit the five-year mark in February.
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Ukrainian attacks set an oil export terminal ablaze in St. Petersburg on Sunday, as Kyiv launched more than 1,000 drones across Russia in one of its largest ever aerial bombardments. The attack comes amid deepening tensions between Ukraine and Washington, with U. S. President Donald Trump criticizing Kyiv for its strikes on Russian oil infrastructure.
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Ukrainian attacks set an oil export terminal ablaze in St. Petersburg on Sunday, as Kyiv launched more than 1,000 drones across Russia in one of its largest ever aerial bombardments. The attack comes amid deepening tensions between Ukraine and Washington, with U. S. President Donald Trump criticizing Kyiv for its strikes on Russian oil infrastructure.
He was imprisoned and tortured by the Houthis. He's counselling diplomacy, not war - National Post
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Azerbaijan: Health of imprisoned government critics at risk as another political activist faces extradition threat - Amnesty International
Reacting to reports of the deteriorating health of opposition leader Ali Karimli and media expert Alasgar Mammadli, both detained in Azerbaijan, and the threat of extradition from Ukraine to Azerbaijan of political activist Bahruz Hasanli, Marie Struthers, Amnesty International’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia Director, said: “According to family members and lawyers, Ali Karimli and Alasgar Mammadli have suffered a severe deterioration in their health due to inadequate prison conditions and a lack of essential health care. Ali Karimli has been denied access to clean drinking water and ventilation, which may amount to torture or other ill-treatment. Alasgar Mammadli’s lawyers have repeatedly requested that he be transferred to house arrest given his health problems which have seriously worsened in detention.”
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