Ukrainian Soldier Describes Beating and Stun Gun Use on Hubbard

Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old American retired English teacher, spent more than four years in Russian detention. During that time, former cellmates say he endured physical violence and poor conditions. Two Ukrainians held in the same facilities described the abuse to reporters.

Dmytro Khyliuk, a journalist, first met Hubbard in September 2022 at the Novozybkov prison in Bryansk. Khyliuk said guards singled out the American immediately. He reported that officers asked during inspections which cell held the American. They used obscene words, threatened him, and mocked him from the first days.

Ihor Shyshko, a captured Ukrainian soldier, also observed Hubbard’s arrival. Shyshko said Hubbard was forced to learn Russian, sing the national anthem, and recite prison schedule rules. Hubbard could not read the rules. Shyshko witnessed guards beating Hubbard and shocking him with a stun gun. The beatings targeted Hubbard’s legs, back, and arms. Shyshko added that Hubbard was denied food and medical care while kept in the cold.

Hubbard was captured in April 2022 in Izyum, Ukraine. Russian soldiers occupied the city where Hubbard lived with his Ukrainian partner. He was accused of serving in Ukraine’s armed forces. A Moscow trial convicted him and sentenced him to six years and 10 months. The two Ukrainians were held with him while he awaited trial.

Khyliuk noted that Hubbard’s health declined over the months they spent in neighboring cells. Khyliuk heard Hubbard complain frequently. Guards summoned Hubbard to the prison doctor more often. Khyliuk described broken windows and bitter cold at Novozybkov. Detainees used their time outside cells to huddle in bathrooms for warmth. Khyliuk said conditions at Novozybkov were worse than at the next prison.

The men met Hubbard again at Pakino. Shyshko said Hubbard’s condition worsened there. Shyshko described rot on Hubbard’s knees and feet. He recalled bandaging Hubbard at the medical center because the doctor refused to do so. Hubbard was weak and barely able to move. The prisoners described a diet of porridge, bread, and potatoes. They faced a daily routine of beatings, forced running, and stress positions. Shyshko also described a handler setting a dog on prisoners to bite them.

Khyliuk claimed Hubbard was hidden soon after the transfer to Pakino. He said this was to conceal Hubbard’s condition from visiting International Red Cross staff. Khyliuk stated that the Red Cross saw only what was shown to them. The International Committee of the Red Cross said it asks to see every individual wherever granted access. It continues talks with conflict parties on the issue.

Khyliuk said Hubbard vanished from the prison in 2024. He assumed Hubbard had been released. Khyliuk returned to Ukraine in August 2025 in a prisoner exchange. He compared the treatment to the Stalin era. Khyliuk called Russian captivity a torture machine. The Kremlin released Hubbard on the day US special envoy Steve Witkoff met Vladimir Putin in St Petersburg. Witkoff called Putin a humanitarian. US President Donald Trump said he asked Putin to free Hubbard in a phone call the previous week.