MOSCOW (Reuters) – A Russian prosecutor called for a seven-year prison sentence for a 72-year-old American man who Russia accuses of working as a mercenary for Ukraine, Interfax news agency reported on Saturday.
Stephen Hubbard is accused of signing a $1,000 per month contract with a Ukrainian territorial defence unit in the city of Izyum in February 2022. He was captured by Russian forces in April that year, and faces a sentence of seven to 15 years if convicted.
Russia’s RIA news agency reported that Hubbard pleaded guilty to the charges at a hearing in Moscow City Court on Monday. Hubbard’s sister and another relative cast doubt on his reported confession, telling Reuters he held pro-Russian views and was unlikely to have taken up arms at his age.
On Monday, Reuters could not immediately reach his lawyer to comment on this.
Hubbard’s trial is being held behind closed doors and the verdict will be announced on Oct. 7.
Hubbard is one of at least 10 U.S. nationals behind bars in Russia. A prisoner swap between Moscow and the West on Aug. 1 freed 24 people, including three Americans.
(Reporting by Reuters; Writing by Maxim Rodionov; Editing by Frances Kerry)
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