Hubbard release was no trade, say Moscow and Washington
Both governments have rejected suggestions that the release of Stephen Hubbard, held since 2022, was linked to the brief detention in Montenegro of the Russian war blogger Mikhail Zvinchuk.
Russia and the United States have both denied that Moscow released the American national Stephen Hubbard from prison in exchange for the recent release of a Russian war blogger detained in Montenegro, whom Washington has accused of election interference.
Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that Hubbard, a 74-year-old US citizen held in Russian custody since 2022, had been freed in what the Kremlin called a humanitarian goodwill gesture. President Donald Trump said he had asked Putin to free Hubbard and that Russia had not sought anything or anyone in return for letting the retired schoolteacher return home.
Some observers, including a former US ambassador, suggested that Hubbard may have been freed in connection with the case of Mikhail Zvinchuk, a high-profile Russian war blogger briefly detained in Montenegro earlier this month before being let go. "This case had no connection to Stephen Hubbard's release," a State Department spokesperson said. "The Russian government made the unilateral decision to release Mr. Hubbard. Mr. Hubbard's release was not part of an exchange, and no other concessions were provided."
In October 2024 the State Department offered $10 million for information leading to the identification or location of employees of the Russian media organisation Rybar, listing Zvinchuk as its director. Its Rewards for Justice programme says Rybar was previously funded by the late Russian mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin and managed social media channels promoting Russian government political interests in the US, including by stoking divisions over immigration before the 2024 presidential election. Britain imposed sanctions on Zvinchuk and others linked to Rybar in July, having already designated the outlet for spreading false narratives about Ukraine and interfering in European elections.
Moscow has regularly denied accusations of misinformation and sabotage, saying the West spreads anti-Russian propaganda. Zvinchuk, a former Russian defence ministry official, was detained in Montenegro on charges of spreading "Russian influence", then expelled with three other Russians on 9 October. The State Department spokesperson declined to say whether Washington was involved in his detention by US-allied Montenegro or had requested his extradition.
Asked to comment on Friday, the Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Hubbard was not released in exchange for Zvinchuk. "That's not right," he said of the claim.