A former cellmate told The Times that freed American teacher Stephen Hubbard endured beatings five times a day, electric shock and regular sexual abuse for two years in Russian custody, as the Kremlin denied that the 74-year-old was released in exchange for a Russian war blogger.
The account of Hubbard’s treatment followed British and bipartisan US criticism of special envoy Steve Witkoff for calling Russian President Vladimir Putin a “humanitarian” during their Wednesday meeting in St. Petersburg. A Downing Street spokesperson said the UK “certainly does not recognise that characterisation,” citing thousands of people killed in the war and Russian strikes on heating and critical infrastructure, while former US hostage envoy Roger Carstens told CBS News the remark may be a small price to pay to secure an American’s freedom.