An American has pleaded guilty in a Moscow court to fighting for Ukraine, marking the first time an American has been tried as a mercenary in Russia.
Russian state media reported that Stephen James Hubbard, 72, of Michigan, admitted to accepting funds to fight Russia for Ukraine.
“Yes, I agree with the indictment,” state news agency Ria Novosti quoted him as saying in court on Monday.
The Kremlin-friendly Izvestia newspaper, citing prosecutors in court, said Mr Hubbard was paid $1,000 (£750) after signing a contract with the Ukrainian Territorial Defense Forces in the eastern city of Izium in February 2022. ) was paid.
According to prosecutors, he was captured by Russian forces in April 2022 during their occupation of Izium. The city was then liberated by Ukrainian forces in fall 2022.
If convicted of participating in mercenary activities, he could be sentenced to up to 15 years in prison.
Mr. Hubbard’s sister, Patricia Fox, denied that her brother was a mercenary, saying he was too old for combat. “He’s very non-military,” Fox told Reuters. “He’s never had a gun, never owned a gun, never done anything like that…He’s more of a pacifist.”
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Fox said in a public Facebook group that her brother was “kidnapped in Ukraine” about three years ago.
Mr. Hubbard had reportedly worked for decades as an English teacher abroad, including in Japan, Cyprus and Ukraine, and was living there at the time of the February 2022 invasion of Moscow.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Embassy in Moscow said last week that he was aware that an American was detained, but declined to comment further.
Mr. Hubbard is one of at least a dozen Americans imprisoned in Russia. Arrests of Americans in Russia have become increasingly common as relations between the two countries descend to a Cold War-era low. The US government has previously accused the Russian government of using US citizens as bargaining chips for political influence.
Mr. Hubbard is the first American to be tried in Russia on mercenary charges in connection with the Ukraine war.
In June 2022, two American men fighting alongside Ukrainian forces during fighting north of Kharkiv were captured by Russian-backed separatist forces in Donbas. The men were later released along with five British nationals as part of a Saudi-mediated prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine.
