Son of Stephen Hubbard, American freed from Russian jail, speaks out
In an interview with CBS News after Stephen Hubbard was released from Russian custody, his son, Fr. Joseph Coleman, said his father might have made a mistake in staying in Ukraine when the war began.
Key points
- Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old U.S. citizen, was released from Russian custody on Wednesday after more than four years in prison.
- His son, Fr. Joseph Coleman, said a 2025 phone call from the prison hinted at extreme exhaustion and thoughts leaning toward suicide.
- Hubbard's family and attorney dispute Russia's charges that he fought for Ukraine, saying they found no evidence he served in the military.
Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old American held in Russia for more than four years, was released on Wednesday. The U.S. government had classified him as wrongfully detained after Russia accused him of fighting for Ukraine, a charge his family has consistently rejected.
His son, Fr. Joseph Coleman, a Greek Orthodox priest, spoke to CBS News on Wednesday in his first television interview since the release. He said a brief phone call with his father last year, while Hubbard was imprisoned, suggested severe exhaustion and hinted at thoughts leaning toward suicide.
How the release was secured
The release was announced during a meeting between U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Russian President Vladimir Putin. President Trump said Putin agreed to free Hubbard with "no 'swap' necessary," though Trump also said his decision to waive new sanctions on Russia played a role.
Hubbard's attorney, Martin De Luca, said his legal team did not know where Hubbard was held when it took the case in February 2025. Lawyers in Russia later located him and arranged legal visits, money for food and basic necessities, and the phone call with his son.
I'm not saying his detainment was justifiable. I'm not saying that. But these things happen in war.
— Fr. Joseph Coleman
Disputed charges and remaining detainees
Hubbard was captured in Ukraine shortly after Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022 and accused of manning a checkpoint for mercenaries. He was sentenced to almost seven years in a penal colony after a closed-door trial. De Luca said his team found no evidence Hubbard served in the Ukrainian military or was physically capable of doing so at about 70 years old.
As many as 20 Americans remain imprisoned in Russia, and the State Department warns against travel there because of the risk of wrongful detention. Russia has not been designated a state sponsor of wrongful detention under a new Trump administration policy, though Iran and Afghanistan have received the designation.
What the son said
Coleman said his father sounded better in a brief call before leaving St. Petersburg than in their last conversation in May 2025. He said he wanted to embrace his father and assess his health, while also giving him space to adjust to freedom.
Coleman called the release "a small step toward peace in this greater conflict" and thanked Putin for signing off on it. He said he was ecstatic his father was free but suggested Hubbard may have made a mistake by staying in Ukraine as Russian forces advanced.
