Hubbard Detention: Ex-cellmates detail abuse in Russian prisons

Stephen Hubbard spent 54 months in Russian custody, a period that ended with his release from detention in St Petersburg. Two former Ukrainian cellmates have provided specific accounts of the physical and psychological treatment Hubbard endured during that time.

Dmytro Khyliuk, a journalist, met Hubbard in September 2022 at the Novozybkov prison in Bryansk. Khyliuk said guards identified the American immediately and treated him differently from other detainees. "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 Ukrainian soldier, corroborated these early days and added that Hubbard was forced to learn Russian and recite prison rules he could not read. Shyshko described seeing guards beat Hubbard on his legs, back, and arms, and said they also shocked him with a stun gun. "They beat him on the legs, on the back, on the arms," Shyshko said. He noted that Hubbard was denied food and medical care while kept in freezing conditions.

The two men described a daily routine of forced running and stress positions, alongside a diet consisting of porridge, bread, and potatoes. Shyshko recalled that Hubbard's health deteriorated significantly, particularly after a transfer to the Pakino facility. He said Hubbard's knees and feet were riddled with rot and that he had to bandage the veteran after a prison doctor refused to do so. Shyshko also described an incident where a guard set a dog on prisoners to bite them.

Khyliuk said Hubbard was hidden from visiting International Red Cross staff to conceal his condition. "They saw only what was shown to them and they were happy with that," Khyliuk said. The Red Cross stated that it asks to see every individual when granted access and continues talks with conflict parties on the issue.

Hubbard, a 74-year-old retired English teacher, was captured in April 2022 in Izyum, Ukraine, where he lived with his partner. He was sentenced to six years and 10 months in a Moscow trial. The Kremlin released him on October 23, 2026, the same day US special envoy Steve Witkoff met with Vladimir Putin. Witkoff referred to Putin as a "humanitarian" during the meeting.

Khyliuk, who returned to Ukraine in August 2025, compared the treatment to the Stalin era. "Russian captivity is a torture machine," he said. Shyshko said he hopes the perpetrators will face justice, stating, "Evil must be punished, and so it will be."