Freed US citizen was tortured in Russian jail, former Ukrainian prisoners say

Two former Ukrainian prisoners say they witnessed freed American Stephen Hubbard being beaten and sexually humiliated by guards in Russian detention, corroborating claims made by the 74-year-old's family.

Hubbard, a retired English teacher, was released by the Kremlin this week after four-and-a-half years in captivity and flown home on a US plane. President Donald Trump said he had asked Vladimir Putin to free him during a phone call the week before.

Dmytro Khyliuk, a journalist, and Ihor Shyshko, a captured Ukrainian soldier, were held alongside Hubbard at prisons in Novozybkov, in the Bryansk region, and later at Pakino. They told the BBC his American nationality marked him out to guards for harsher treatment.

Shyshko said he witnessed Hubbard being beaten on the legs, back and arms and electrocuted with a stun gun, and alleged he was subjected to sexual humiliation for the guards' entertainment. Khyliuk said he heard from guards asking which cell held the American.

Khyliuk claimed Hubbard was hidden from visiting inspectors to conceal his deteriorating condition, including legs and feet left to rot. The International Committee of the Red Cross declined to comment on specific cases.

Hubbard was captured in April 2022 in the eastern city of Izyum and accused of serving in Ukraine's armed forces. He was sentenced to almost seven years in a penal colony in 2024.

Shyshko said he hoped their torturers would one day face justice: "Evil must be punished, and so it will be."