Witnesses Detail Four Years of Physical Abuse Suffered by Freed American

Two Ukrainian men who shared cells with Stephen Hubbard say the 74-year-old American was beaten, starved, and exposed to freezing temperatures during his 4.5 years in Russian custody. Their accounts, released following Hubbard's recent release, offer a detailed view of the conditions he endured in two separate prisons.

Dmytro Khyliuk, a journalist, first met Hubbard in September 2022 at Novozybkov prison in Bryansk. Khyliuk said guards singled out the American during inspections, using obscene language and threats from the start. Ihor Shyshko, a captured soldier, corroborated these claims and added that Hubbard was forced to sing the Russian national anthem and recite rules he could not read. Shyshko stated that guards hit Hubbard on his legs, back, and arms, and used a stun gun. He also reported that Hubbard was denied food and medical care while kept in the cold.

Hubbard was captured in April 2022 in Izyum, Ukraine, and later sentenced to six years and ten months in Moscow for serving in Ukraine's armed forces. The two Ukrainians were held with him while he awaited trial. Khyliuk described the deteriorating health of Hubbard during their time in neighboring cells, noting broken windows and severe cold. He said detainees huddled in bathrooms to stay warm. After a transfer to the Pakino prison, Shyshko said Hubbard's condition worsened, with rot visible on his knees and feet. Shyshko bandaged Hubbard after a doctor refused to treat him. The prisoners described a daily routine of beatings, forced running, and stress positions, with a diet limited to porridge, bread, and potatoes.

Khyliuk claimed that shortly after the transfer to Pakino, prison officials hid Hubbard from International Red Cross staff to conceal his state. The Red Cross stated that it assesses conditions for every individual granted access and continues talks with conflict parties. Khyliuk said Hubbard vanished from the prison in 2024, leading him to assume an early release. The Kremlin freed Hubbard on the same day US special envoy Steve Witkoff met Vladimir Putin in St Petersburg. Trump said he asked Putin to free Hubbard in a phone call the previous week.

Khyliuk, who returned to Ukraine in August 2025, described Russian captivity as a torture machine and criticized the timing of the release as shameful public relations. Shyshko said he hopes the perpetrators face justice, stating that evil must be punished.