Stephen Hubbard Endured 54 Months of Abuse in Russian Jails, Ex-Cellmates Say

Two Ukrainians who were held in the same Russian prisons as Stephen Hubbard say they witnessed guards beat and humiliate the American veteran during his 54 months of captivity.

Dmytro Khyliuk, a journalist, first saw Hubbard at the Novozybkov prison in Bryansk in September 2022. He stated that officers singled out the 74-year-old from his arrival. “They came during inspections and were asking: in which cell is the American? And then they used obscene words. They threatened him, they mocked him from the first days,” Khyliuk said. Ihor Shyshko, a captured soldier, confirmed that Hubbard’s nationality drew immediate attention. Shyshko said guards forced Hubbard to learn Russian, sing the national anthem, and recite prison rules he could not read.

Shyshko described physical violence and medical neglect while the two men shared a cell. He said guards struck Hubbard on the legs, back, and arms, and used a stun gun on him. “They beat him on the legs, on the back, on the arms,” Shyshko said. He added that Hubbard was denied food and medical care and left in the cold. Shyshko also alleged that prison staff subjected Hubbard to sexual humiliation for their amusement.

Hubbard was captured in April 2022 in Izyum, Ukraine, where he lived with his partner. Russian authorities accused him of serving in the Ukrainian military and sentenced him to six years and 10 months in a Moscow trial. Khyliuk noted that Hubbard’s health deteriorated while they were in neighboring cells. He heard Hubbard complain of pain and saw guards summon him to the doctor frequently. Khyliuk described broken windows and bitter cold at Novozybkov, noting that detainees huddled in the bathroom for warmth during outdoor hours.

The two men met Hubbard again at the Pakino prison, where Shyshko said his condition worsened. “There was not a single spot on his knees or on his feet without rot,” Shyshko said. He recalled bandaging Hubbard’s wounds at the medical center because the prison doctor refused to do so. The detainees described a daily routine of beatings, forced running, and stress positions, along with a diet of porridge, bread, and potatoes. Shyshko also said a handler once set a dog on prisoners to bite them.

Khyliuk claimed that Hubbard was hidden from International Red Cross staff shortly after the transfer to Pakino to conceal his physical state. “They saw only what was shown to them and they were happy with that,” Khyliuk said. The ICRC stated that it asks to see every individual where it is granted access and continues talks with the parties to the conflict. Khyliuk said Hubbard disappeared from the prison in 2024, leading him to believe the veteran had been released. Khyliuk returned to Ukraine in August 2025 through a prisoner exchange and compared the treatment he witnessed to the Stalin era.

The Kremlin released Hubbard on the same day US special envoy Steve Witkoff met President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg to discuss the war in Ukraine. Witkoff referred to Putin as a humanitarian, and President Donald Trump said he had asked Putin to free Hubbard during a phone call the previous week. Khyliuk described the timing as shameful PR for the US president, while Shyshko said he hopes the perpetrators will face justice.

Shyshko stated, “Evil must be punished, and so it will be.”