Stephen James Hubbard, a 72-year-old U.S. citizen, pleaded guilty in a Moscow court on Monday to charges of serving as a mercenary against Russia in the Ukraine war, Russia’s RIA news agency reported.
Hubbard’s sister and another relative quickly cast doubt on his reported confession, telling Reuters he held pro-Russian views and was unlikely to have taken up arms at his age.
RIA said Hubbard had admitted in a hearing at the Moscow City Court that he had received money to fight for Ukraine against Russia.
“Yes, I agree with the indictment,” RIA quoted him as saying.
Hubbard was placed in pre-trial detention last week for six months. He faces a sentence of seven to 15 years if convicted.
RIA, citing a prosecutor in court, said Hubbard had signed a contract with a Ukrainian territorial defense unit in the eastern Ukrainian city of Izyum at the start of the war in February 2022.