this post was submitted on 07 Oct 2024
194 points (99.0% liked)

World News

39081 readers
3212 users here now

A community for discussing events around the World

Rules:

Similarly, if you see posts along these lines, do not engage. Report them, block them, and live a happier life than they do. We see too many slapfights that boil down to "Mom! He's bugging me!" and "I'm not touching you!" Going forward, slapfights will result in removed comments and temp bans to cool off.

We ask that the users report any comment or post that violate the rules, to use critical thinking when reading, posting or commenting. Users that post off-topic spam, advocate violence, have multiple comments or posts removed, weaponize reports or violate the code of conduct will be banned.

All posts and comments will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. This means that some content that violates the rules may be allowed, while other content that does not violate the rules may be removed. The moderators retain the right to remove any content and ban users.


Lemmy World Partners

News [email protected]

Politics [email protected]

World Politics [email protected]


Recommendations

For Firefox users, there is media bias / propaganda / fact check plugin.

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/media-bias-fact-check/

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
 

A Russian court on Monday sentenced a 72-year-old American in a closed trial to nearly seven years in prison for allegedly fighting as a mercenary in Ukraine.

Prosecutors said Stephen Hubbard signed a contract with the Ukrainian military after Russia sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022 and he fought alongside them until being captured two months later.

He was sentenced to six years and 10 months in a general-security prison. Prosecutors had called for a sentence of seven years in a maximum-security prison.

top 17 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] [email protected] 55 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I wish the article went into some detail about how the hell a 72-year-old fought in a war. I know people can be in good shape at that age, but I wouldn't think they'd be in voluntarily joining a war shape.

Also, how did he end up in the custody of Russia? Captured, or just strolled into Moscow one day with his big balls clanging at each step.

[–] [email protected] 32 points 1 month ago (2 children)

I'm also curious why he isn't being treated as a POW. This seems like a violation of the Geneva convention, but there's too little information here.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 1 month ago

Russia is a fascist state and doesn't care about that, or hypocrisy.

That's your missing information.

[–] Agent641 17 points 1 month ago

*Prisoner of special military operation

[–] ThePowerOfGeek 48 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Article doesn't say, but I'm assuming they captured him in Ukraine. In which case Russia took someone from a foreign territory they were at war with (they've done this so much already that we know it happens) as a prisoner of war. And then sentenced him in one of their internal kangaroo courts.

I'm not a lawyer, but it sounds like they broke a plethora of Geneva Convention provisions. (Again, something we know Russia does a lot.)

[–] FauxPseudo 4 points 1 month ago

Nitpick: From Russia's point of view Ukraine isn't a foreign territory, this is a civil war.

[–] random_character_a 30 points 1 month ago (4 children)

I don't get it. Unless there are warcrimes involved, condemning enemy combatants is more than petty. Especially if they are captured outside Russian territory.

[–] [email protected] 29 points 1 month ago

I'm pretty sure this has nothing to do with anything beyond Russia wanting to use him as a bargaining chip

[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 month ago

Big assumption he was actually a combatant. The Kremlin sat on this for two years then had a closed trial. I wouldn't even believe them if they told me what they had for lunch, let alone this.

[–] Siegfried 13 points 1 month ago

Just as the horny dude that went from his crayon eating routine to freaking russia cause a girl asked him to and got jailed because of being an american: russia needs prisioners to trade. Don't fly to russia if you hold a NATO-member citizenship

[–] Jikiya 2 points 1 month ago

Early on Russia said it would treat any foreigner fighting for Ukraine as a mercenary, and criminally punish them. Doesn't matter that they sign with the Ukrainian government to fully be in the Ukrainian military. Just more rank hypocrisy, as they pull soldiers from all over Africa, India and China. Along with Americans caught in statutory rape charges that happened to flee before trial.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 1 month ago

Fuck, we need to give him a medal, that is a badass right there.

[–] Etterra 9 points 1 month ago

Just be honest and say they sentenced him to death. Whether it's from abuse or just because at his age he won't last 7 years in their shitty prisons, he's never going home and everybody knows it.

[–] kokesh 9 points 1 month ago

If he was, that is none of putin's business.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 month ago

They should offer to send him to the front lines in lieu of prison and see how that works out for them.