Former Detainees Accuse Russian Guards of Beating American Stephen Hubbard

Former Ukrainian prisoners allege that Russian guards subjected freed American Stephen Hubbard to beatings, electric shocks, and severe neglect during his detention. Dmytro Khyliuk, a journalist, and Ihor Shyshko, a captured soldier, say they witnessed the abuse firsthand while housed in the same facilities as Hubbard for more than four years. Their accounts corroborate statements made by Hubbard’s family regarding his treatment in Russian jails.

Khyliuk first encountered Hubbard in September 2022 at the Novozybkov prison in Bryansk, near the Ukrainian border. He stated that guards singled out the American from the moment of his arrival. According to Khyliuk, officers would ask during inspections which cell held the American, then use obscene language to threaten and mock him. Shyshko, who was also present at Hubbard’s arrival, noted that his nationality immediately drew the attention of prison officers.

Shyshko described a regimen in which Hubbard was forced to learn Russian, sing the national anthem, and recite prison schedule rules he could not read. The former detainee said he saw and heard guards beat Hubbard on the legs, back, and arms. Shyshko also reported that officers shocked Hubbard with a stun gun. He claimed Hubbard was denied adequate food and medical care and was kept in freezing conditions. Shyshko further alleged that Hubbard was subjected to sexual humiliation for the amusement of prison staff.

Hubbard, a retired English teacher, was captured in April 2022 in Izyum, Ukraine, where he lived with his partner. Russian authorities accused him of serving in the Ukrainian armed forces. A trial in Moscow resulted in a sentence of six years and ten months. The two Ukrainians were held alongside Hubbard while he awaited his trial.

Khyliuk observed Hubbard’s health deteriorate over the months they shared neighboring cells. He noted that guards summoned Hubbard to the prison doctor with increasing frequency. Khyliuk described broken windows and bitter cold at Novozybkov, where detainees huddled in bathrooms to stay warm during their time outside the cells. He stated that conditions at Novozybkov were worse than at the subsequent facility where they were transferred.

At the Pakino facility, Shyshko said Hubbard’s condition worsened significantly. Shyshko recalled bandaging Hubbard at the medical center after a doctor refused to do so. He described Hubbard as weak and barely able to move. Shyshko noted that there was not a single spot on Hubbard’s knees or feet without rot. The detainees reported a diet consisting of porridge, bread, and potatoes, alongside a daily routine of beatings, forced running, and stress positions. Shyshko also described an incident where a handler set a dog on prisoners to bite them.

Khyliuk claimed that shortly after the transfer to Pakino, prison officials hid Hubbard to conceal his condition from visiting International Red Cross staff. Khyliuk stated that the Red Cross only saw what was shown to them. The International Committee of the Red Cross responded that it asks to see every individual when granted access and continues talks with the parties to the conflict on the issue of access.

Hubbard, 74, was released by the Kremlin on the day US special envoy Steve Witkoff met Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg. Witkoff referred to the Russian president as a humanitarian, while President Donald Trump said he had requested Hubbard’s release during a phone call the previous week. Khyliuk, who returned to Ukraine in August 2025, called the timing shameful public relations for the US president. Shyshko stated that he hopes the perpetrators will face justice, asserting that evil must be punished.