Stephen Hubbard, a retired Michigan teacher recently released from a Russian prison, has spoken publicly for the first time since his release, according to a Guardian report on his remarks. The newspaper reported that Hubbard, 74, said on Friday that he had heard many times previously that he would be released.

The Guardian reported that Hubbard said he only believed he was “going somewhere” when he was being taken from Moscow to St Petersburg. He also said he only believed he would be freed once he got new clothes.

The New York Times, in a report by Kim Barker published October 29, described Stephen James Hubbard as a retired teacher who was arrested soon after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The Times said that Hubbard, in his account, sometimes lost hope while imprisoned.

The two outlets describe his state of mind in different terms. The Times said he sometimes lost hope, while The Guardian’s headline said he believed he would never be freed. Both descriptions come from the outlets’ own reporting of his comments.

The publication dates listed for the two pieces show The Times account appearing on October 29 and The Guardian’s on October 30. Neither summary gives further detail on the length of his imprisonment or the circumstances of his release.

Sources: The New York Times: Newly Freed American Describes His Years in Russian Prison; The Guardian: Retired Michigan teacher released from Russian prison believed he would never be freed.