Witnesses describe beatings and stun gun use on freed American in Russian jail

Stephen Hubbard, a 74 year old American teacher, spent four and a half years in Russian custody where two fellow Ukrainian prisoners say he was repeatedly beaten and shocked with a stun gun. Dmytro Khyliuk, a journalist, and Ihor Shyshko, a captured soldier, both met Hubbard in September 2022 at the Novozybkov prison in Bryansk, near the Ukrainian border. They stated that guards identified Hubbard by his nationality from the moment he arrived, using insults and threats to isolate him.

Shyshko described a routine of physical punishment that included strikes to the legs, back, and arms. He reported that Hubbard was forced to learn Russian, sing the national anthem, and recite prison rules he could not read. According to Shyshko, the guards also denied Hubbard adequate food and medical attention while keeping him in freezing conditions. He further alleged that Hubbard faced sexual humiliation and abuse intended for the amusement of prison staff.

Khyliuk noted that Hubbard’s health deteriorated while the men occupied neighboring cells. He heard Hubbard complain frequently and watched guards summon him to the prison doctor with increasing regularity. Khyliuk described the Novozybkov facility as having broken windows and bitter cold, forcing detainees to huddle in bathrooms for warmth. He said the conditions were worse than those at the next prison in the system.

The two men later met Hubbard at the Pakino prison, where Shyshko said his condition worsened. Shyshko observed rot on Hubbard’s knees and feet and bandaged his wounds at the medical center after a doctor refused to do so. He described Hubbard as weak and barely able to move. The prisoners reported a diet of porridge, bread, and potatoes alongside daily beatings and forced running. Shyshko also recalled a guard setting a dog on prisoners to bite them.

Khyliuk claimed that shortly after the transfer to Pakino, prison officials hid Hubbard to conceal his state from International Red Cross inspectors. Khyliuk stated that the Red Cross saw only what was presented to them and expressed satisfaction with the visit. The International Committee of the Red Cross said it asks to see every individual when granted access and continues talks with conflict parties on the issue. Khyliuk said Hubbard disappeared from the prison in 2024, leading Khyliuk to assume he had been released. Khyliuk returned to Ukraine in August 2025 via a prisoner exchange and compared the treatment to the Stalin era.

The Kremlin released Hubbard on the same day US special envoy Steve Witkoff met Vladimir Putin in St Petersburg to discuss the war. Witkoff described the Russian president as a humanitarian. US President Donald Trump said he had requested Hubbard’s freedom from Putin in a phone call the previous week. Khyliuk called the timing shameful public relations for a US president losing votes in congressional elections. Shyshko said he hopes the perpetrators will face justice.