Two American fighters have been taken prisoner in Ukraine, the first since the conflict began. Robert Drueke, 39, and Andy Huynh, 27, are both from Alabama. They join a growing number of Western military mercenaries captured by Russian forces, including at least two Britons. Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner have already been told they face the death penalty as mercenaries.
The capture of the two Americans will be diplomatically sensitive as the Kremlin may seek to use it as proof that America is becoming directly involved in the war. They were taken prisoner by Russian forces last week on the outskirts of Kharkov, according to the Daily Mail. Drueke actually served in the US Army in Iraq. Huynh is a former Marine but has never been in active combat before.
“We were out on a mission and the whole thing went absolutely crazy, with bad intel. We were told the town was clear when it turned out the Russians were already there. They came down the road with two T72 tanks and multiple BMP3s (armored fighting vehicles) and about 100 infantry. The only thing that was there was our ten-man squad,” an unnamed mercenary told the Telegraph.
Russian forces claimed that night to have captured the two Americans via Telegram app. Drueke’s mother told Telegraph she is in contact with the U.S. government and hopes they will be able to secure her son’s release.
“The US embassy has assured me that they are doing everything they can to find him and that they are searching for him alive, not dead.
The State Department said on Tuesday it was ‘aware’ of reports of their capture but a spokesman declined to comment, citing privacy concerns.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Army Gen. Mark A. Milley did not comment on the capture on Tuesday.
A State Department spokesperson said: “We are aware of unconfirmed reports of two US citizens captured in Ukraine. We are closely monitoring the situation and are in contact with Ukrainian authorities. Due to privacy considerations, we have no further comment.
“We also once again reiterate US citizens should not travel to Ukraine due to the active armed conflict and the singling out of US citizens in Ukraine by Russian government security officials, and that U.S. citizens in Ukraine should depart immediately if it is safe to do so using any commercial or other privately available ground transportation options.”, Telegraph reports.