Son of Freed American Prisoner Longs to Embrace Him

WHO:

CBS News - Stephen Hubbard is a 74-year-old U.S. citizen and retired Michigan schoolteacher who was imprisoned in Russia for more than four years.

CBS News - Fr. Joseph Coleman, Hubbard’s son, is a Greek Orthodox priest who lives in Cyprus. He said he and Hubbard did not grow up in the same home because Hubbard was divorced from Coleman’s mother.

CBS News - Martin De Luca is Hubbard’s U.S.-based attorney.

CBS News - U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff met with Russian President Vladimir Putin when Hubbard’s release was announced.

CBS News - As many as 20 Americans remain imprisoned in Russia; some families dispute the charges against them.

CBS News Politics - Margaret Brennan reported on Hubbard’s release. The article describes Hubbard as a retired Michigan teacher and says he was wrongfully held in Russia.

WHAT:

CBS News - Russia released Hubbard from prison after he had been accused of fighting for Ukraine. The U.S. government had deemed him wrongfully detained.

CBS News - Hubbard was captured in Ukraine, accused of manning a checkpoint for mercenaries, and sentenced to almost seven years in a penal colony after a closed-door trial. His family disputed the charges.

CBS News - Coleman said he wanted “to embrace him as a son embraces his father” and personally check Hubbard’s health. He said he would give his father space to adjust to freedom.

CBS News - In their brief phone call before Hubbard departed St. Petersburg, Coleman said his father sounded better than during their previous conversation.

CBS News - Coleman described Hubbard’s release as “a small step toward peace in this greater conflict” and thanked Putin for approving it, calling the decision an act of “compassion and even mercy.”

CBS News - Witkoff called Putin a “humanitarian,” drawing criticism from Republican and Democratic lawmakers.

CBS News - De Luca’s team found no evidence Hubbard had served in Ukraine’s military or was physically capable of doing so at roughly 70; De Luca said the Russian case file was largely sealed.

WHERE:

CBS News - Hubbard was imprisoned in Russia after being captured in Ukraine; he was held at an undisclosed Russian location.

CBS News - Coleman lives in Cyprus. Hubbard was due to travel from St. Petersburg.

WHEN:

CBS News - Hubbard was captured shortly after Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022.

CBS News - Coleman’s last conversation with his father before the release call was in May 2025.

CBS News - De Luca’s legal team took on Hubbard’s case in February 2025. The family had lost track of Hubbard for roughly three years after his detention.

WHY:

CBS News - Trump said Putin agreed to release Hubbard at his request, with “no ‘swap’ necessary”; Trump also said waiving new sanctions against Russia played a role and that sanctions taking effect would have prevented the release.

HOW:

CBS News - Russian lawyers located Hubbard and arranged legal visits, money for food and basic necessities, and a brief phone call with Coleman.

CBS News - Coleman recalled a conversation during Hubbard’s imprisonment in which his father expressed extreme tiredness with life; Coleman said it hinted at suicidal thoughts.

(UPDATED October 22, 2026 03:11 UTC)

Russia has released Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old American and retired Michigan schoolteacher, after more than four years in prison. Captured in Ukraine after Russia’s invasion, he was accused of fighting for Ukraine and sentenced to nearly seven years following a closed-door trial; his family disputed the charges, and the U.S. government deemed him wrongfully detained. Hubbard’s attorney said his team found no evidence he had served in Ukraine’s military, while much of the Russian case file remained sealed. Hubbard’s son, Greek Orthodox priest Joseph Coleman, said their brief phone call before his father left St. Petersburg was reassuring. They had not grown up together, and Coleman said he would give his father space to adjust to freedom. President Trump said Putin approved the release at his request, without a prisoner swap. As many as 20 Americans remain imprisoned in Russia.