Patricia Hubbard Fox said she spoke by phone with her brother Stephen Hubbard after his release from a Russian prison earlier this week.
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Stephen Hubbard’s younger sister, Patricia Hubbard Fox, said she spoke with her brother by phone after his release from a Russian prison on Wednesday, describing him as being in disbelief.
Hubbard Fox said she heard him laughing when she spoke to him, and quoted him as saying, “I can’t believe this is happening.” She said she was heading to Denver’s airport to fly to San Antonio to meet him.
The U.S. president, Donald Trump, said he asked Russian President Vladimir Putin during a phone call earlier this month to free Hubbard, who is 74 and a retired teacher from Michigan.
Hubbard Fox said her brother had believed he would die in prison, adding that he suffered beatings and starvation while held captive.
She said her brother was in “perfect health” when he was “kidnapped” in 2022, and that he was accused of fighting alongside Kyiv’s forces. She also said he now has an enlarged heart and that he likely has post-traumatic stress disorder.
According to Hubbard Fox, her brother had been accused of signing a contract with the Ukrainian military and was sentenced in 2024 to nearly seven years in prison during closed court proceedings.
The U.S. government under the Biden administration designated Hubbard as wrongfully detained, and Hubbard’s legal team has disputed the Russian allegations, saying he was not involved in any military activity.
Hubbard is described by his family as a U.S. Air Force veteran who taught English overseas and retired in 2012. Hubbard Fox said he later moved to Ukraine after meeting a woman and remained in the country after their relationship ended, staying there at the time of Russia’s invasion.
Hubbard Fox disputed the claim that her brother was a mercenary, saying he was used as “bait” in Putin’s war with Ukraine, and she added, “Putin is as evil as they come.”
She said she expects her brother will likely come live with her in Colorado, and that both are looking forward to a family reunion.
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