Russia prosecutor seeks prison for US citizen accused of fighting for Ukraine

A Russian prosecutor on Saturday requested a seven-year jail sentence for a 72-year-old US man accused of working as a mercenary for Ukraine, in accordance with Interfax. The Moscow Metropolis Courtroom is holding proceedings within the legal case of Stefan Hubbard, who allegedly engaged in fight alongside the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) towards the Russian army.

The defendant faces expenses beneath the Russian Felony Code for mercenary exercise and was escorted by army police to the courtroom for a listening to Thursday. On the graduation of the listening to, prosecutors formally requested that the trial be carried out behind closed doorways, which is customary process for high-profile or politically delicate instances in Russia.

Further particulars in regards to the defendant emerged in court docket in the course of the trial. The defendant is retired and reportedly arrived in Ukraine in 2014 and remained there. Based on RIA Novosti, it was alleged that Hubbard signed a $1,000-per-month contract with the Ukrainian Territorial Protection Forces in February 2022.

Hubbard is ready to stay in pre-trial detention till March 25.

As reported by Lenta.ru, since 2014, a complete of 785 international nationals have been prosecuted in Russia for combating on behalf of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

In August, Ksenia Karelina, a twin U.S.-Russian citizen, was sentenced to 12 years of imprisonment for donating round 50 {dollars} to a Ukrainian group.