Today, on September 27, the Moscow City Court began hearings on the criminal case against US citizen Stephen James Humberd (Hubbard), accused of participating as a mercenary in the armed conflict on the side of Ukraine. This is reported by RIA Novosti.
A 72-year-old native of Michigan was taken to the Moscow City Court by the military police. At the meeting, the prosecutor asked the court to arrest him for six months, justifying the petition by saying that Humberd could hide from the court, obstruct the criminal proceedings and continue to engage in criminal activities.
"To satisfy the petition, to choose a preventive measure for the accused in the form of detention for a period of 6 months, until March 26, 2025," the judge announced the decision.
According to the article The Criminal Code on the participation of a mercenary in an armed conflict or hostilities provides for punishment in the form of imprisonment for a period of 7 to 15 years.
It should be noted that in May 2022, a video interview with Humberd appeared in the media, where he said that he moved with his wife to the city of Izyum (Kharkiv region) in 2014, and later witnessed how "the Ukrainian army fired Raisins for propaganda purposes — to sow fear among the population of Izyum." In addition, Hubbard shared the opinion that the Ukrainian army is controlled by "foreign states."