A Russian court has sentenced a 72-year-old American to nearly seven years in prison for allegedly fighting as a mercenary in Ukraine.

A Russian court on Monday sentenced a 72-year-old American in a closed trial to nearly seven years in prison for allegedly fighting as a mercenary in Ukraine.

Prosecutors said Stephen Hubbard signed a contract with the Ukrainian military after Russia sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022 and he fought alongside them until being captured two months later.

He was sentenced to six years and 10 months in a general-security prison. Prosecutors had called for a sentence of seven years in a maximum-security prison.

  • herrcaptain@lemmy.caEnglish
    55·
    2 months ago

    I wish the article went into some detail about how the hell a 72-year-old fought in a war. I know people can be in good shape at that age, but I wouldn’t think they’d be in voluntarily joining a war shape.

    Also, how did he end up in the custody of Russia? Captured, or just strolled into Moscow one day with his big balls clanging at each step.

    • Dragonstaff@leminal.spaceEnglish
      331·
      2 months ago

      I’m also curious why he isn’t being treated as a POW. This seems like a violation of the Geneva convention, but there’s too little information here.

  • ThePowerOfGeek@lemmy.worldEnglish
    48·
    2 months ago

    Article doesn’t say, but I’m assuming they captured him in Ukraine. In which case Russia took someone from a foreign territory they were at war with (they’ve done this so much already that we know it happens) as a prisoner of war. And then sentenced him in one of their internal kangaroo courts.

    I’m not a lawyer, but it sounds like they broke a plethora of Geneva Convention provisions. (Again, something we know Russia does a lot.)

  • Random_Character_A@lemmy.worldEnglish
    30·
    2 months ago

    I don’t get it. Unless there are warcrimes involved, condemning enemy combatants is more than petty. Especially if they are captured outside Russian territory.

    • Phoenixz@lemmy.caEnglish
      29·
      2 months ago

      I’m pretty sure this has nothing to do with anything beyond Russia wanting to use him as a bargaining chip

    • fuckingkangaroos@lemm.eeEnglish
      13·
      2 months ago

      Big assumption he was actually a combatant. The Kremlin sat on this for two years then had a closed trial. I wouldn’t even believe them if they told me what they had for lunch, let alone this.

    • Siegfried@lemmy.worldEnglish
      13·
      2 months ago

      Just as the horny dude that went from his crayon eating routine to freaking russia cause a girl asked him to and got jailed because of being an american: russia needs prisioners to trade. Don’t fly to russia if you hold a NATO-member citizenship

    • Jikiya@lemmy.worldEnglish
      2·
      2 months ago

      Early on Russia said it would treat any foreigner fighting for Ukraine as a mercenary, and criminally punish them. Doesn’t matter that they sign with the Ukrainian government to fully be in the Ukrainian military. Just more rank hypocrisy, as they pull soldiers from all over Africa, India and China. Along with Americans caught in statutory rape charges that happened to flee before trial.

  • Etterra@lemmy.worldEnglish
    9·
    2 months ago

    Just be honest and say they sentenced him to death. Whether it’s from abuse or just because at his age he won’t last 7 years in their shitty prisons, he’s never going home and everybody knows it.

  • AmidFuror@fedia.io
    55·
    2 months ago

    They should offer to send him to the front lines in lieu of prison and see how that works out for them.