According to Russian state media, two US volunteer fighters for Ukraine were taken into custody by Russian-backed separatists after being captured by Russian forces last week in Donetsk.
Russia’s RT channel interviewed American citizens Alexander John-Robert Drucke, 39, of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and Andy Tai Ngok Huynh, 27, of Hartsley, Alabama, at a detention center in the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR). According to a report published on Friday, RT.
Missing near Kharkiv: Two Americans went missing during a fighting north of Kharkiv on June 9 and it was feared that Russian forces might have captured them, according to their families and a fellow fighter.
Video Shows: Short video clips surfaced on pro-Russian channels and social media on Friday, showing people detained at an undisclosed location. It was not clear at the time who was holding them.
A State Department spokesperson told CNN on Friday that they had “seen photos and videos of these two US citizens allegedly captured by Russian military forces in Ukraine.”
“We are closely monitoring the situation and our hearts are with their families at this difficult time,” he added.
“We are in contact with the Ukrainian authorities, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the families themselves… Due to confidentiality, we have no comment on these matters.”
Separately, a more than 50-minute edited video was published on Saturday in which Drucke and Hyun were interviewed by the pro-Russian Serbian nationalist YouTube channel Helmcast.
Donetsk: In the interview, a man can be heard revealing the location of his interview behind the camera when he says “here in Donetsk” during a question to Drewke.
Beaten in custody: Drucke is also asked in the interview if he has any objection to how he has been treated since his capture and reveals that he has been beaten several times.
Why their location is important: The location of Drucke and Huynh’s detention is likely related to development. According to Russian state media RIA Novosti, the death penalty is banned in Russia, while Donetsk uses firing squads to kill condemned prisoners.
Foreign Fighters: On 9 June, a court in the DPR sentenced foreign fighters, two British nationals and one Moroccan national to death, accusing them of being “mercenaries” for Ukraine. The internationally unrecognized court in the DPR said the men have a month to appeal.
Prisoner swap collapsed: The hope that a prisoner exchange between Ukraine and pro-Russian separatists could free any foreign fighters detained in Donetsk was said by the self-proclaimed head of the DPR, Denis Pushilin, after such exchanges were held. Provides were out of the question.
“The exchange of British people sentenced to death is not being discussed in the DPR, there is no basis for pardoning them,” Pushilin told the independent Russian investigative newspaper Novaya Gazeta on Thursday.
The Donetsk People’s Republic did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Drucke and Huynh’s detention.
CNN is choosing not to broadcast videos of US prisoners because they show men speaking under pressure.