A Russian court on October 7 said it had sentenced a 72-year-old US citizen, Stephen Hubbard, to 6 years and 10 months in a penal colony on charges that he fought against Russia as a paid mercenary for the Ukrainian armed forces.According to Moscow City Court, Hubbard was captured in April 2022, while taking part in battles in the city of Izyum in eastern Ukraine. The court said Hubbard, a native of Big Rapids, Michigan, took part in an “armed conflict of a non-international nature,” a statement that adheres to the Kremlin’s false and illegal claim that Ukraine is Russian territory.Four days earlier, Russian state media reported that Hubbard had pleaded guilty to the charges and that he told the court he had lived in Izyum with a Ukrainian fiancee for a long period before the war.According to Reuters, Hubbard’s sister, Patricia Fox, expressed doubt over his guilty plea.“He is so non-military,” Fox was quoted as saying. “He never had a gun, owned a gun, done any of that…He’s more of a pacifist.” Credit: Moscow City Court via Storyful