72-year-old American Steven James Hubbard pleaded guilty to mercenary charges in a Moscow court on Monday, Russia's state-run RIA news agency reported. Hubbard, who is a native of Michigan, admitted that he was paid to participate in hostilities on the side of Ukraine against Russia, Reuters reported, citing BTA.
According to RIA, Hubbard stated: "Yes, I agree with the accusation." He was detained six months before the case and faces between 7 and 15 years in prison if convicted.
The indictment alleges that Hubbard signed a contract with a Ukrainian territorial unit in the city of Izyum at the start of the war in February 2022, promising him a salary of $1,000 a month. The prosecutor stated that he was trained and supplied with weapons and ammunition. Hubbard was detained by Russian soldiers on April 2, 2022.
Hubbard's sister, Patricia Fox, told Reuters he had worked as an English teacher overseas and had no interest in combat, denying claims he was a mercenary. She explained that her brother moved to Ukraine in 2014, where he lived with a woman, supporting himself on a small pension.
Hubbard is one of at least 10 American citizens currently detained or imprisoned in Russia.