Fr. Joseph Coleman, a Greek Orthodox priest, revealed that his father, Stephen Hubbard, had reached a state of deep despair while held in Russian custody. In his first television interview since the 74-year-old retired schoolteacher was freed, Coleman described a brief phone call from last year during which his father expressed extreme weariness with his life. While hesitating to label the sentiment as suicidal, the son noted the conversation leaned in a concerning direction. The life that he was experiencing at that time, he was expressing a very extreme tiredness with life. According to petersburg, Coleman, He sounded better than he had during their last conversation in May 2025. Hubbard, a 74-year-old retired schoolteacher, was captured in Ukraine shortly after Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022 and accused of manning a checkpoint for mercenaries. According to de Luca, His legal team conducted its own investigation, interviewing people who knew Hubbard and examining his circumstances before the invasion.
Hubbard’s release was confirmed Wednesday during a meeting between U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Held for over four years on accusations of fighting for Ukraine, Hubbard was officially categorized by the U.S. government as wrongfully detained. President Trump stated that Putin agreed to the release following his request, noting that while no formal swap occurred, his decision to waive new sanctions against Russia was a contributing factor. Leaving little opportunity for a private exchange, witkoff was also present. According to he, He would also give his dad space to adjust to freedom and expected to see Hubbard later that evening. And Russian forces have been accused of widespread abuses during the war, putin is wanted by the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes involving the deportation of Ukrainian children. He was later sentenced to almost seven years in a penal colony following a closed-door trial. I’m not saying that,” he said. “But these things happen in war. But he was living in an area that was a war zone.
Coleman, who lives in Cyprus, acknowledged that he and his family had lost contact with his father for roughly three years following his initial detention.
The family only reconnected after lawyers in Russia located Hubbard, allowing for legal visits, basic support, and eventually the limited phone communication.
Martin De Luca, the family’s U.S.-based attorney, emphasized that this prolonged isolation took a significant toll on Hubbard, noting that neither the family nor the U.S.
Embassy had a clear sense of his location until legal teams intervened in early 2025.
Addressing the diplomatic context of the release, Coleman thanked Putin for his decision, characterizing it as a rare moment of mercy in an otherwise brutal conflict. However, the release was overshadowed by controversy after Witkoff referred to the Russian president as a humanitarian, a comment that triggered sharp criticism from lawmakers. Despite the political friction, both the family and their legal team credited the Trump administration’s engagement for the breakthrough. Asked about Witkoff’s description of Putin, Coleman called his father’s release “a small step toward peace in this greater conflict” and thanked Putin for signing off on the deal. According to de Luca, He was not concerned that the administration’s engagement with Moscow would encourage further detentions, arguing that diplomatic dialogue had helped secure several Americans’ freedom. Iran and Afghanistan have both received the designation.
Regarding the original charges, De Luca maintained that there was no evidence Hubbard served in the Ukrainian military, noting that the Russian case file remains largely sealed. Coleman refrained from assigning blame for the incident, though he conceded that his father might have made a critical error by staying in Ukraine after the 2022 invasion began. He remarked that while he does not condone what happened, such risks are an unfortunate reality of wartime conditions. According to he, They found no evidence that Hubbard had served in the Ukrainian military or was physically capable of doing so at roughly 70 years old. According to asked whether recent U.S. decisions benefiting Russia — including sanctions relief and purchases of Russian diesel — were connected to Hubbard’s release, De Luca, He did not believe there was a direct link, though he.
Despite this success, the broader diplomatic landscape remains complex
Ongoing Diplomatic and Geopolitical Concerns
- Witkoff faces backlash for calling Putin a “humanitarian”: “Embarrassing and outrageous”
- Zelenskyy says if Trump can’t stop Putin, help Ukraine do it
- Peace Through Profit: The Problem with Steve Witkoff’s Ukraine Strategy
Looking ahead, Coleman expressed a desire to personally assess his father’s health, aiming to provide him with space to transition back to freedom.
Meanwhile, approximately 20 other Americans remain imprisoned in Russia, with the State Department maintaining its warnings against travel to the country. Arden Farhi contributed to this report.
De Luca remains hopeful that ongoing dialogue will continue to yield results for other families, despite Russia not yet being designated a state sponsor of wrongful detention under current administration policies. It’s just being isolated from everybody you’ve ever known and just from the outside world,” he said.
