Ukrainian cellmates describe Hubbard abuse
Former inmates say Russian guards beat the 74-year-old veteran and shocked him with a stun gun during his four-and-a-half-year detention.
By Natalia Costa ·
Two Ukrainian men who were incarcerated alongside Stephen Hubbard in Russian prisons describe a period of physical violence and harsh conditions that lasted more than four years. Dmytro Khyliuk, a journalist, and Ihor Shyshko, a former soldier, said they witnessed guards targeting Hubbard because of his American nationality. Khyliuk first met Hubbard in September 2022 at the Novozybkov prison in Bryansk. He recalled officers entering cells during inspections to locate the American, using profanity, and threatening him from the start.
Shyshko, who was also held in Novozybkov, said Hubbard was forced to learn Russian, sing the national anthem, and recite prison rules he could not read. Shyshko stated that he saw guards strike Hubbard on his legs, back, and arms and use a stun gun on him. He added that Hubbard was denied food and medical care and kept in cold cells. Shyshko also alleged that prison staff subjected Hubbard to sexual humiliation for their amusement.
Hubbard, a retired English teacher, was captured in April 2022 in Izyum, Ukraine, where he lived with his partner. Russian authorities accused him of serving in Ukraine’s armed forces, convicted him in Moscow, and sentenced him to six years and ten months. The two Ukrainians were imprisoned with Hubbard while he awaited trial. Their accounts align with statements from Hubbard’s family that he was tortured during his detention.
Khyliuk said Hubbard’s health deteriorated while they were in neighboring cells at Novozybkov. He noted that guards summoned Hubbard to the prison doctor with increasing frequency. Khyliuk described broken windows and severe cold, with detainees huddling in bathrooms for warmth. He said conditions at Novozybkov were worse than at the next facility in the chain.
The men later met Hubbard at the Pakino prison, where Shyshko said his condition worsened. Shyshko described rot on Hubbard’s knees and feet and said he had to bandage the veteran because the prison doctor refused to do so. Shyshko recalled Hubbard being too weak to move easily. The prisoners described a daily diet of porridge, bread, and potatoes, alongside routine beatings, forced running, and stress positions. Shyshko also said a handler once set a dog on prisoners to bite them.
Khyliuk claimed that shortly after the transfer to Pakino, prison staff hid Hubbard to conceal his condition from International Red Cross visitors. He said the Red Cross was shown only what the staff wanted them to see. The International Committee of the Red Cross stated that it asks to see every individual when granted access and continues talks with conflict parties on the issue. Khyliuk said Hubbard vanished from the prison in 2024, leading him to assume the veteran had been released.
Khyliuk returned to Ukraine in August 2025 via a prisoner exchange. He compared the treatment to the Stalin era, calling Russian captivity a torture machine. The Kremlin released Hubbard on the same day US special envoy Steve Witkoff met Vladimir Putin in St Petersburg. Witkoff called Putin a humanitarian, while President Donald Trump said he had requested Hubbard’s release in a phone call the previous week. Khyliuk called the timing shameful PR, and Shyshko said he hopes the perpetrators will face justice.
