Ukrainians held alongside Stephen Hubbard in Russian detention facilities claim they witnessed him being beaten, electrocuted with a stun gun, and subjected to sexual humiliation by Russian guards during his four-and-a-half-year detention. They also reported that Hubbard, 74, was denied food and medical care, kept in the cold, and treated more harshly due to his American nationality. Hubbard, accused of serving in Ukraine's armed forces, was sentenced to almost seven years in a penal colony in 2024. He was released earlier this week, on the same day US special envoy Steve Witkoff met Russian President Vladimir Putin in St Petersburg to discuss the war in Ukraine. US President Donald Trump had previously stated he requested Hubbard's release from Putin during a phone call the week prior.