In brief
At 73 years old, Stephen James Hubbard has found himself entangled in a geopolitical conflict far from the life he sought in Ukraine. Originally hailing from Michigan, Hubbard spent decades traveling and teaching abroad until he settled in Izium, Ukraine. His life changed dramatically following the Russian invasion on February 24, 2022. Shortly after hostilities erupted, Hubbard was arrested by Russian forces, accused of acting as a mercenary for Ukraine. After enduring a series of transfers between multiple detention facilities, he faced trial, culminating in a conviction and a harsh sentence of almost seven years in prison, a situation highlighted recently by the U.S. State Department, which deemed his detention as wrongful and the charges as unfounded.
