Kremlin denies US citizen Stephen Hubbard was freed in exchange for a Russian war blogger

Summary

The Kremlin denied on Friday that Russia had released American national Stephen Hubbard from prison in exchange for the recent release of a Russian war blogger detained in Montenegro, according to the Straits Times. The Straits Times reported that Hubbard had been freed in what the Kremlin called a humanitarian goodwill gesture, and it did not describe any swap.

Timeline

1. Straits Times

   23 Oct 2026, 10:12 UTCSource ↗

   The Straits Times reports that the Kremlin denied on Friday that Russia released American Stephen Hubbard in exchange for the recent release of a Russian war blogger detained in Montenegro.