MOSCOW, February 12. /TASS/. 72-year-old US citizen Stephen Hubbard, convicted for participating in combat on the side of the Ukrainian armed forces, and his defense have decided not to appeal the sentence, according to court records from the Moscow municipal court, which handed down a guilty verdict last October.
The documents revealed that the court issued a decree for the execution of the sentence the day its decision became effective. However, neither the Moscow municipal court nor the appellate or cassation courts have received any objections from Hubbard or his defense. No complaints have been filed with Russia’s Supreme Court either. However, Hubbard’s attorney had previously told TASS that he planned to contest his client’s guilty verdict.
On October 7, 2024, the Moscow municipal court sentenced Hubbard to six years and 10 months in a medium-security prison. The defendant acknowledged the charges brought against him. His detention since April 2022 was included in his prison term.
The main provisions of the court decision also indicated that the "case files concerning unidentified individuals have been processed separately." Additionally, the court ordered 142,000 hryvnias (about $3,400) to be seized from the defendant and paid to the Russian state.
Hubbard was charged under Article 353, Part 3 of the Russian Criminal Code (mercenary participating in armed conflict or combat). According to the press service of the Office of Russia’s Prosecutor General, as a result of a recruitment of mercenaries, carried out by unidentified individuals in February 2022, he voluntarily joined a territorial defense battalion in the town of Izyum in the Kharkov Region. From February 25 through April 2 of the same year, he participated in an armed conflict on the side of Ukraine while systematically receiving monetary compensation. He understood that his actions were illegal but, for personal gain, intentionally followed the orders of his commanders, which led to his direct participation in combat by Ukrainian units against Russian servicemen.
Hubbard was born in Big Rapids, Michigan. Since 2014, he has resided in Izyum with his wife. During combat, Hubbard was captured by Russian servicemen. According to him, Russian troops treated him well, and he now has a better understanding of the essence of the Ukrainian conflict and the actions of Russian authorities.