Stephen Hubbard's Fellow Detainees Describe Beatings and Cold During Four-Year Russian Detention

Stephen Hubbard was held in Russian custody for four and a half years before his release on October 22, 2026. Two Ukrainians who were imprisoned alongside him have detailed specific abuses he endured, including beatings, exposure to freezing temperatures, and medical neglect. Their accounts offer a concrete look at the conditions inside Novozybkov and Pakino prisons during the war.

Dmytro Khyliuk, a journalist, met Hubbard in September 2022 at Novozybkov prison in Bryansk. Khyliuk stated that guards singled out the American immediately upon his arrival. He recalled officers entering cells during inspections and asking, "in which cell is the American?" Khyliuk said the guards used obscene language, threatened Hubbard, and mocked him from the first few days of his detention.

Ihor Shyshko, a captured Ukrainian soldier, also witnessed Hubbard's arrival. Shyshko noted that Hubbard's nationality drew constant attention from prison officers. Hubbard was forced to learn Russian and recite prison rules he could not read. Shyshko also described Hubbard being forced to sing the national anthem. He reported seeing guards strike Hubbard on the legs, back, and arms. Shyshko added that guards used a stun gun on Hubbard and denied him adequate food and medical care while keeping him in cold cells.

Hubbard was captured in April 2022 in Izyum, Ukraine, where he lived with his partner. Russian forces occupied the city at the time. He was charged with serving in Ukraine's armed forces. A trial in Moscow resulted in a sentence of six years and ten months. The two Ukrainian men were held in the same facility while Hubbard awaited that trial. Their testimonies align with previous statements from Hubbard's family regarding the physical toll of his imprisonment.

Khyliuk described a steady decline in Hubbard's health while they occupied neighboring cells in Novozybkov. Hubbard complained frequently, leading guards to summon him to the prison doctor more often. Khyliuk pointed to broken windows and bitter cold as key factors in the deterioration. Detainees used the limited time outside their cells to huddle in bathrooms for warmth. Khyliuk said conditions at Novozybkov were worse than those at the subsequent facility where Hubbard was transferred.

The men later met Hubbard at Pakino prison, where Shyshko said his condition worsened significantly. Shyshko observed that Hubbard's knees and feet had no skin free of rot. He recalled bandaging Hubbard at the medical center after a doctor refused to do so. Shyshko described Hubbard as weak and barely able to move. The daily routine included beatings, forced running, and stress positions. The diet consisted of porridge, bread, and potatoes. Shyshko also described a prison handler using a dog to bite prisoners.

Khyliuk claimed that Hubbard was hidden from view shortly after his transfer to Pakino. He said this was done to conceal Hubbard's physical state from visiting staff of the International Red Cross. Khyliuk stated, "They saw only what was shown to them and they were happy with that." The International Committee of the Red Cross said it requests access to every individual in facilities where it is granted entry. The organization said it continues talks with conflict parties on the issue of access.

Khyliuk said Hubbard disappeared from the prison in 2024, leading Khyliuk to assume he had been released. Khyliuk returned to Ukraine in August 2025 as part of a prisoner exchange. He compared the treatment of detainees to the Stalin era. He described the system of Russian captivity as a torture machine. Khyliuk said he was glad Hubbard was freed, noting that it was not Hubbard's war. He called the timing of the release shameful PR for the US president, who is facing congressional elections.

The Kremlin released Hubbard on the same day US special envoy Steve Witkoff met Vladimir Putin in St Petersburg. Witkoff referred to Putin as a humanitarian during the meeting. US President Donald Trump said he had asked Putin to free Hubbard in a phone call the week prior. Shyshko, who remains a detainee, said he hopes the perpetrators will face justice. He stated that evil must be punished and that it will be.

Hubbard, 74, was a retired English teacher before the war. His release marks the end of a detention period that began in April 2022. The two Ukrainian witnesses provided details on the daily routines and physical punishments that characterized Hubbard's four years and six months in custody.