Son of Stephen Hubbard, American freed from Russian jail, speaks out

Washington — Fr. Joseph Coleman feared helium would ne'er again spot his father, Stephen Hubbard, erstwhile they had a little telephone speech past twelvemonth portion Hubbard was successful a Russian prison.

"He was expressing a precise utmost tiredness with life, the beingness that helium was experiencing astatine that time. I don't privation to accidental suicidal thoughts, but the speech hinted it leaned successful that direction," Coleman, a Greek Orthodox priest, told CBS News connected Wednesday successful his archetypal tv interrogation since his father's release.

Hubbard's release was announced earlier Wednesday during a gathering betwixt U.S. peculiar envoy Steve Witkoff and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Hubbard, a U.S. citizen, was imprisoned successful Russia for much than 4 years aft being accused of warring for Ukraine. The U.S. authorities had deemed Hubbard wrongfully detained.

President Trump said Putin had agreed to merchandise Hubbard astatine his request, with "no 'swap' necessary," though helium besides said that his determination to waive caller sanctions against Russia played a relation successful Hubbard's release. 

In a one-minute telephone telephone with his begetter earlier Hubbard took disconnected from St. Petersburg, Coleman said helium sounded amended than helium had during their past speech successful May 2025. Witkoff was besides present, leaving small accidental for a backstage exchange.

"I privation to clasp him arsenic a lad embraces his father. I privation to personally measure his wellness to marque definite he's well," Coleman said. He said helium would besides springiness his dada abstraction to set to state and expected to spot Hubbard aboriginal that evening.

Coleman, who lives successful Cyprus, did not turn up successful the aforesaid location arsenic Hubbard, who was divorced from Coleman's mother. He said the household had mislaid way of Hubbard wholly for astir 3 years aft his detention.

Martin De Luca, Hubbard's U.S.-based attorney, told CBS News that erstwhile his ineligible squad took connected the lawsuit successful February 2025, neither the household nor the U.S. Embassy knew precisely wherever Hubbard was being held.

Lawyers successful Russia yet located him and arranged for ineligible visits, wealth for nutrient and basal necessities, and the little telephone telephone with his son.

De Luca said the isolation had taken an tremendous toll.

"It's conscionable being isolated from everybody you've ever known and conscionable from the extracurricular world," helium said.

After Putin granted Hubbard's release, Witkoff praised the Russian president arsenic a "humanitarian," prompting swift backlash from Republican and Democratic lawmakers.  Putin is wanted by the International Criminal Court for alleged warfare crimes involving the deportation of Ukrainian children, and Russian forces person been accused of wide abuses during the war.

Asked astir Witkoff's statement of Putin, Coleman called his father's merchandise "a tiny measurement toward bid successful this greater conflict" and thanked Putin for signing disconnected connected the deal.

He described the determination arsenic an enactment of "compassion and adjacent mercy."

Hubbard, a 74-year-old retired schoolteacher, was captured successful Ukraine soon aft Russia launched its full-scale penetration successful 2022 and accused of manning a checkpoint for mercenaries. He was aboriginal sentenced to astir 7 years successful a penal colony pursuing a closed-door trial.

His household has consistently disputed the charges.

De Luca said his ineligible squad conducted its ain investigation, interviewing radical who knew Hubbard and examining his circumstances earlier the invasion. He said they recovered nary grounds that Hubbard had served successful the Ukrainian subject oregon was physically susceptible of doing truthful astatine astir 70 years old.

"We person not seen immoderate grounds to enactment those allegations," De Luca said. He added that the Russian lawsuit record was mostly sealed and that his squad had repeatedly sought grounds substantiating the charges.

De Luca and Coleman some credited the Trump administration's diplomatic engagement with Moscow for securing Hubbard's freedom.

Asked whether caller U.S. decisions benefiting Russia — including sanctions alleviation and purchases of Russian diesel — were connected to Hubbard's release, De Luca said helium did not judge determination was a nonstop link, though helium acknowledged that bilateral relationships impact aggregate overlapping interests.

Mr. Trump, however, has explicitly said that allowing caller sanctions to instrumentality effect would person prevented Hubbard's release.

And contempt Hubbard's release, arsenic galore arsenic 20 Americans stay imprisoned successful Russia, including immoderate whose families quality the charges against them. The State Department continues to pass Americans against traveling to Russia due to the fact that of the hazard of wrongful detention.

De Luca said helium was not acrophobic that the administration's engagement with Moscow would promote further detentions, arguing that diplomatic dialog had helped unafraid respective Americans' freedom.

But Russia has not been designated a authorities sponsor of wrongful detention nether a caller Trump medication policy, contempt its past of imprisoning Americans connected questionable charges. Iran and Afghanistan person some received the designation.

Coleman stopped abbreviated of blaming his begetter for his circumstances but acknowledged helium mightiness person made a mistake by remaining successful Ukraine arsenic Russian forces advanced.

"The Russian forces told overseas nationals to permission and helium did not," Coleman said. "I bash not similar what happened to my father. I americium ecstatic that helium is free. But helium was surviving successful an country that was a war zone."

"I'm not saying his detainment was justifiable. I'm not saying that," helium said. "But these things hap successful war."

Arden Farhi contributed to this report.