Former Cellmates Detail Physical and Medical Abuse of Freed American in Russian Prisons

Two Ukrainians who shared prison cells with American citizen Stephen Hubbard have described a period of systematic physical abuse and medical neglect during his more than four years of Russian detention. Dmytro Khyliuk, a journalist, and Ihor Shyshko, a captured Ukrainian soldier, provided specific accounts of guards beating Hubbard, shocking him with a stun gun, and denying him basic care in facilities at Novozybkov and Pakino.

The men stated that Russian officers targeted Hubbard for his nationality from the moment he arrived at Novozybkov prison in Bryansk in September 2022. Khyliuk reported that guards during inspections asked which cell held the American, using obscene language and threats. Shyshko added that Hubbard was forced to learn Russian, sing the national anthem, and recite prison rules he could not read because he was illiterate in the language. According to Shyshko, guards beat Hubbard on his legs, back, and arms, and shocked him with a stun gun.

Both detainees described the physical conditions as severe. Khyliuk noted broken windows and bitter cold at Novozybkov, where detainees huddled in bathrooms during exercise periods to find warmth. Shyshko said Hubbard was denied food and medical care, and he alleged that prison staff subjected the American to sexual humiliation for their amusement. The men described a daily routine that included forced running, stress positions, and beatings, as well as a handler setting a dog on prisoners to bite them.

Hubbard's health deteriorated significantly during his time in custody. Khyliuk, who was in a neighboring cell, heard Hubbard's complaints and observed guards summoning him to the prison doctor with increasing frequency. When the two men were transferred to Pakino prison, Shyshko said Hubbard’s condition had worsened. He described Hubbard's knees and feet as rotting and recalled bandaging him himself after a prison doctor refused to treat him. Shyshko said Hubbard was weak and barely able to move.

The accounts align with statements from Hubbard's family, who said he was tortured in prison. The two Ukrainians were held with Hubbard while he awaited trial. Hubbard was captured in April 2022 when Russian forces occupied Izyum, a city in eastern Ukraine where he lived with his Ukrainian partner. Russian authorities accused him of serving in Ukraine's armed forces, tried him in Moscow, and sentenced him to six years and 10 months.

Khyliuk claimed that prison officials hid Hubbard from International Red Cross staff shortly after the transfer to Pakino to conceal his poor condition. Khyliuk stated that the staff saw only what was shown to them and were satisfied with the assessment. The International Committee of the Red Cross responded that it asks to see every individual when granted access and continues talks with conflict parties on the issue. Khyliuk said Hubbard disappeared from the prison in 2024, leading him to believe the American had been released.

Khyliuk returned to Ukraine in August 2025 through a prisoner exchange. He compared the treatment in Russian custody to the Stalin era, calling it a torture machine. Shyshko said he hopes the perpetrators will face justice, stating that evil must be punished. Khyliuk expressed relief at Hubbard's freedom, noting it was not his war, but criticized the timing as shameful public relations for the U.S. president who is losing votes in congressional elections.

The Kremlin released Hubbard, 74, after four and a half years on the same day U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff met Vladimir Putin in St Petersburg to discuss the war in Ukraine. Witkoff described the Russian president as a humanitarian. U.S. President Donald Trump said he had asked Putin to free Hubbard in a phone call the previous week.