Russia jails American Stephen Hubbard over fighting as a mercenary in Ukraine

A Russian courtroom sentenced a 72-year-frail American to almost seven years in penal advanced Monday after he became once convicted on prices of combating as a mercenary in Ukraine.

Investigators alleged all thru a closed-door trial that Stephen Hubbard of Michigan became once paid $1,000 a month to enlist in a Ukrainian protection unit in Izyum, a city in the japanese a part of the country, the effect he had been residing since 2014, in accordance with Reuters.

The recordsdata company cited Russian investigators and lisp media as saying that Hubbard became once professional and given weapons and ammunition after he allegedly signed up for the mercenary unit in February 2022. Two months later, he reportedly became once detained by Russian infantrymen after which pleaded responsible to prices of combating as a mercenary.

Hubbard became once sentenced to six years and 10 months in penal advanced. He’s the essential American known to were convicted on prices of combating as a mercenary in the Ukrainian war, in accordance with the Associated Press.

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The prices raise a in all probability sentence of 15 years, but prosecutors requested that his age be taken into fable collectively alongside with his act of contrition, Russian recordsdata reports acknowledged.

Final month, Hubbard’s sister Patricia Hubbard Fox and yet another relative told Reuters that he held legit-Russian views and became once unlikely to salvage fought in fight at his age.

Russian lisp media is saying Hubbard plans to charm the choice. The U.S. Reveal Department did now now not straight acknowledge to a matter for commentary from Fox Data Digital.

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A courtroom in the Russian city of Voronezh furthermore sentenced American Robert Gilman on Monday to seven years and one month for allegedly assaulting legislation enforcement officers while serving a sentence for yet another assault.

Gilman, a U.S. Marine oldschool, became once arrested in 2022 for inflicting a disturbance while intoxicated on a passenger advise, after which allegedly assaulted a police officer while in custody, Russian recordsdata reports advise. He’s already serving a 3 1/2-year sentence on that fee.

Reveal recordsdata company RIA-Novosti acknowledged that final year, he assaulted a penal advanced inspector all thru a cell check, then hit an legit of the Investigative Committee, resulting in the original sentence.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.