Stephen Hubbard, a U.S. citizen accused of fighting as a mercenary for Ukraine against Russia in the course of a military conflict, is seen inside an enclosure for defendants as he attends a court hearing in Moscow, Russia October 7, 2024, in this still image taken from video. - Moscow City Court Press Service/Handout via REUTERS

Moscow court sentences US citizen to over 6 years in prison in mercenary case

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MOSCOW: The Moscow City Court sentenced US retiree Stephen Hubbard to six years and 10 months in a penal colony on Monday on charges of fighting against Russia in Ukraine, reported Sputnik. 

“(The court) finds Hubbard guilty of a crime under Article 359, Section 3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation and rules to impose a prison term of six years and 10 months, to be served in a general-regime penal colony,“ the judge said in court.

The court also ruled that 142,000 hryvnias (US$3,400) found in Hubbard’s possession should be confiscated. Most of the trial was held behind closed doors. Hubbard pleaded guilty.

Stephen James Hubbard of Michigan (also known as Steven James Humberd), 72, has been living in Ukraine since 2014. In February 2022, he signed a contract with the Ukrainian Armed Forces and served in a territorial defence unit in the eastern Ukrainian city of Izyum before he was captured by Russian soldiers in April that same year.

- Bernama, Sputnik