US Citizen Faces Russian Trial for Mercenary Allegations

Stephen Hubbard, a 72-year-old US citizen, is facing a seven-year sentence in Russia for allegedly fighting as a mercenary in Ukraine. Prosecutors consider his age and admission of guilt, recommending a maximum-security penal colony. The case highlights rising US-Russia tensions over detained citizens used in diplomatic negotiations.

A Russian court is deliberating a seven-year sentence for Stephen Hubbard, a 72-year-old American, accused of acting as a mercenary in the Ukraine conflict, as reported by Russian media.

The prosecution urged the court to consider Hubbard's age and his admission of guilt, suggesting he serve time in a maximum-security penal colony, noted Interfax.

This case underscores a pattern of increasing arrests of Americans in Russia, amid assertions that US nationals might be leveraged for prisoner exchanges, similar to the extensive August swap involving multiple countries.

(With inputs from agencies.)