On Wednesday, October 21, Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, released an American citizen imprisoned in Russia in connection with the war in Ukraine.

On Wednesday, October 21, Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, released an American citizen imprisoned in Russia in connection with the war in Ukraine.

Steven Hubbard, 74, was released by Russia as a "goodwill gesture," according to Reuters.

The news of Hubbard's release comes a day after US President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday, October 20, that he was demanding Putin's release.

Exactly two years ago, in October 1403, a court in Russia sentenced Stephen James Hubbard to six years and ten months in prison. He was accused of fighting as a "mercenary" for Ukraine and against Russia.

According to the judicial authorities in Russia, Hubbard, who lived in the city of Isium in the Kharkiv region of Ukraine, became a member of a military unit in this country in exchange for receiving a thousand dollars a month.

The Russian media wrote at the same time that Mr. Hubbard confessed to his crime. But his sister and another relative later questioned the authenticity of his confession in an interview with Reuters.