Freed after four years, US teacher Stephen Hubbard says he only believed it when he saw new clothes

Stephen Hubbard had been told many times he was going home. He never believed it. Not until a guard handed him new clothes, walked him to a prison exit, and put him in a car heading from Moscow to St. Petersburg did the 74-year-old retired Michigan teacher finally allow himself to think it might be true.

Only when they started giving me new clothes and leading me to the exit of the prison — I went out and I saw the car, and I was accompanied by a couple of Russians — then I believed, finally believed, on the drive from Moscow to St Petersburg, 'I'm really going somewhere.'— Stephen Hubbard, freed American detainee

Speaking publicly for the first time since his October 21 release, Hubbard described four years in Russian custody shaped by isolation, underfeeding, occasional beatings, and a philosophy he summed up plainly: 'seeing is believing' and 'actions speak louder than words.' He made those remarks on Friday during a visit to the White House, where President Trump hosted him in the Oval Office.

Hubbard had been held on charges that he fought as a mercenary for Ukraine — charges his legal team denied, saying he was not involved in any military activity. The State Department designated him 'wrongfully detained.' Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, and Hubbard was behind bars for more than four years before his release.

According to Newser, citing the New York Times, Hubbard survived the ordeal largely by reading his mother's Bible and waiting out a legal system he barely understood. A guard's whispered word — 'home' — was the first signal his release might be real, but even that wasn't enough. His younger sister told the AP that he didn't fully believe it until he boarded an airplane and spotted an American flag.

He may have thought he was going to his death.— Hubbard's younger sister

When asked by CNN to describe his treatment in Russian custody, Hubbard was measured. He said he was beaten, but 'not severely,' and was underfed. At one point he was forced to sing the Russian national anthem. He was given some books to read.

It's not something I would want to repeat.— Stephen Hubbard

In some ways it was spiritually good, because you're there alone and you have much time to think about your past life.— Stephen Hubbard

Hubbard was careful in his first interviews not to criticize Russia harshly or to describe in detail the circumstances of his capture in Ukraine. According to Newser, citing the Times, he said he did not want to jeopardize other Americans still being held prisoner there.

Trump said he had personally asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to free Hubbard, and that the United States did not have to release anyone in return.

He was somebody I wanted to get back.— President Donald Trump

Many in the international community perceived Hubbard's release as Russia's latest move to draw Trump closer to Putin's position on the war in Ukraine, according to the Guardian. The release also gave Trump a diplomatic win ahead of the November 3 midterm elections, when his Republican Party is expected to lose seats in Congress.

Hubbard's release is separate from the earlier February 2025 release of Marc Fogel, another American teacher who had been held in Russia on drug-related charges and was also welcomed at the White House by Trump. At least 10 US citizens are reported to remain in Russian custody, according to Al Jazeera, including Army staff sergeant Gordon Black, Marine veteran Robert Gillman, and ballet dancer Ksenia Khavana. The State Department has said Trump is committed to bringing all detained Americans home.

Why it matters — Hubbard's account offers a rare firsthand window into what wrongful detention in Russia looks like — and his careful public restraint signals how fragile the situation remains for the Americans still held there.

Reported by theguardian.com, newser.com, washingtonpost.com, aljazeera.com