Cellmates Detail Abuse of Freed American

Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old retired English teacher, was released from Russian custody on Thursday after 4.5 years. Two Ukrainian men who shared his cells claim they witnessed guards subject him to physical violence and humiliation throughout his detention.

Dmytro Khyliuk, a journalist, first met Hubbard in September 2022 at the Novozybkov prison in Bryansk. He stated that officers singled out the American from the moment he arrived. "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. He described broken windows and bitter cold, noting that detainees huddled in bathrooms for warmth because the cells were so cold.

Ihor Shyshko, a captured Ukrainian soldier, corroborated these accounts. Shyshko said guards forced Hubbard to learn Russian, sing the national anthem, and recite prison rules he could not read. Shyshko witnessed officers beating Hubbard on his legs, back, and arms, and shocking him with a stun gun. "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 subjected to sexual humiliation for the amusement of staff.

Hubbard's condition worsened after a transfer to the Pakino prison. Shyshko described rot on Hubbard's knees and feet and said a doctor refused to treat him, forcing Shyshko to apply bandages. The men reported a daily routine of beatings, forced running, and stress positions. Khyliuk claimed Hubbard was hidden from International Red Cross staff to conceal his physical state. "They saw only what was shown to them and they were happy with that," he said.

Hubbard was captured in April 2022 in Izyum, Ukraine, where he lived with his partner. Russian authorities accused him of serving in Ukraine's armed forces and sentenced him to six years and 10 months in Moscow. The Kremlin released him the same day US special envoy Steve Witkoff met Vladimir Putin in St Petersburg. Witkoff called Putin a humanitarian, while President Donald Trump said he had requested Hubbard's release in a phone call the prior week.

Khyliuk returned to Ukraine in August 2025 via a prisoner exchange. He compared the detention conditions to the Stalin era. "Russian captivity is a torture machine," Khyliuk said. Shyshko expressed hope that the officers involved would face justice, stating, "Evil must be punished, and so it will be."