Sister of American Stephen Hubbard says he's in disbelief following release by Russia

DENVER (AP) — The younger sister of Stephen Hubbard, the American freed Wednesday after spending more than four years in a Russian prison, said she spoke with her brother by phone and described him as being in disbelief.

“That was awesome. He was just laughing. ... He said, ‘I can’t believe this is happening,'" Patricia Hubbard Fox told The Associated Press in a phone interview as she headed to Denver's airport to catch a flight to San Antonio to meet her brother.

President Donald Trump said he had asked Russian President Vladimir Putin during a phone call earlier this month to free Hubbard, a 74-year-old retired teacher from Michigan. Hubbard was headed home following a visit to St. Petersburg by U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, who also held talks with Putin about the war in Ukraine.

“He’s out of Russia territory. He is free, praise God. He really thought he was going to die in prison,” Hubbard Fox said, adding that her brother suffered beatings and starvation while he was held captive.

She said her brother was in perfect health when he was “kidnapped” in 2022 and accused of fighting alongside Kyiv's forces. She said he now suffers from an enlarged heart and likely has post-traumatic stress disorder.

Her brother was accused of signing a contract with the Ukrainian military and sentenced in 2024 to nearly seven years in prison during closed court proceedings. The U.S. government under the Biden administration designated him as wrongfully detained, and his legal team has also disputed the Russian allegation, saying he was not involved in any military activity.

Hubbard, a U.S. Air Force veteran, taught English overseas and retired in 2012 to Cyprus, where one of his sons is an Orthodox Christian priest. He later moved to Ukraine to be with a woman he had met, his lawyers said, and remained in the country after the relationship ended and was living there at the time of Russia’s invasion.

Hubbard Fox also disputed the claim that her brother was a mercenary, saying he was used as “bait” in Putin's war with Ukraine.

“Putin is as evil as they come,” she said.

Hubbard Fox said her brother would probably come live with her in Colorado, and they both were looking forward to a family reunion. And perhaps she will be able to get some peaceful sleep in her own bed.

Hubbard Fox said she has slept on her couch for four years in solidarity with her brother “because I figured he didn’t have a bed. Why should I have a bed?”

FILE - In this photo taken from video released by the Moscow City Court Press Service, Stephen Hubbard, a U.S. citizen accused of fighting as a mercenary in Ukraine against Russia stands in a glass cage during a court session in the Moscow City court in Moscow, Russia, Oct. 7, 2024. (Moscow City Court Press Service via AP, File)

Iran's state television reported that seven oil tankers were either struck by attacks or hit naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz overnight Thursday, possibly making this the largest single-day number of vessels damaged in the waterway since the Iran war started on Feb. 28.

Here is the latest news from the Middle East. Read our full coverage here.

Iran’s state television reported that seven oil tankers caught fire and were damaged overnight Thursday after being targeted or striking naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz.

If verified, it would be the largest single-day number of vessels damaged in the waterway since the start of the Iran war on Feb. 28 when the United States and Israel launched joint strikes against Iran.

Quoting a statement by the Revolutionary Guard's navy, the Iranian report said that four of the tankers were transferring oil when they were targeted and caught fire. Another three were damaged and immobilized when they hit naval mines.

The report didn't provide details about possible casualties or the flags of the tankers.

The report also warned the Revolutionary Guard may target U.S. bases in the region if the U.S. tried to allow oil tankers to transit through other parts of the strait.

The Revolutionary Guard had routinely targeted U.S. bases in Gulf countries during the war.

Yemen’s Defense Ministry said Thursday Houthi rallies and mobilization programs will be considered legitimate military targets and warned residents in Houthi-held areas against taking part.

The announcement was shared in a social media post and is considered a major escalation against the Iran-backed Houthi rebels as well as civilians living in areas under their control.

Deliberate attacks on civilians could amount to a war crime.

Rallies and what Houthis call “cultural courses” are one of the Iranian-backed group’s main tools for mobilization of supporters and fighters.

The Defense Ministry statement said such assemblies are used by the Houthis to mobilize children for combat.

This report will be updated throughout the day as new developments emerge.

A displaced Yemeni girl walks at Al-Firdaws 2 camp in Ras Imran, on the western outskirts of Aden, Yemen, Yemen, Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdulnasser Alseddik)

Residents walk on their home debris at Seina district in Taiz, Yemen, after a missile strike, Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Marzouq Al Jabri)

Residents walk amid debris from their homes after a missile strike in Seina, Taiz, Yemen, Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Marzouq Al Jabri)