Stephen James Hubbard, 72, is first US citizen to be tried as a mercenary in Russia during the war with Ukraine

A US citizen has pleaded guilty in a Moscow court to charges of fighting for Ukraine, marking the first known instance of an American being tried as a mercenary in Russia.

Russian state media reported that Stephen James Hubbard, 72, of Michigan, had admitted he had received money to fight for Ukraine against Russia.

The Kremlin-friendly Izvestia newspaper, citing a prosecutor in court, said Hubbard was paid $1,000 (£750) after he signed a contract with a Ukrainian territorial defence unit in the eastern city of Izium in February 2022.