For his or her households, the excellent news is they’re alive. The unhealthy information is they’re in Russian captivity.
Two U.S. army veterans taken prisoner whereas preventing for Ukraine seem in a video airing on Russian TV, apparently within the custody of pro-Russian separatists. Within the audio, the 2 Individuals, Alexander John-Robert Drueke and Andy Tai Ngoc Huynh appeared to have spoken beneath duress.
Pundits on Russian state TV are speculating that the 2 troopers will get the demise penalty, saying “there aren’t any different choices” as a result of Russia considers international fighters to be mercenaries.
The lads’s households say the State Division is carefully monitoring the scenario.
“The State Division retains us knowledgeable all by way of the day,” mentioned Bunny Drueke, mom of Alexander John-Robert Drueke. “I’ve each confidence in that. As Coach Saban tells the Crimson Tide followers, belief the method, and that is what we’re doing.”
The 2 Individuals have been captured whereas preventing north of Kharkiv, with a unit of American and French fighters known as “Activity Drive Baguette.” On social media, the unit, which was hooked up to a Ukrainian army unit, says the boys have been captured when their “group ended up remoted in the midst of a Russian offensive.”
Like most of the international items preventing in Ukraine, Activity Drive Baguette posts on social media, together with a Tik Tok of their group set to music.
In different movies they’ve posted, the unit exhibits off their tools. A few of it’s donated, however others are commonplace Ukrainian and superior western weaponry.
Nonetheless, the uniforms aren’t standardized. The personnel carriers aren’t armored. They’ve repurposed pickup vehicles and SUVs, a few of them donated by volunteer organizations.
At the very least one of many males went to Ukraine not meaning to combat. Huynh’s fiance says when he went to Ukraine, his plan wasn’t to affix a gaggle like Baguette.
“He didn’t go meaning to combat,” mentioned Pleasure Black, fiancé of Andy Tai Ngoc Huynh. “As soon as he had determined he was positively going to go, he simply knew that he needed to assist any means that he might, whether or not it was humanitarian, passing out water, something like that.”
U.S. officers have have revealed a 3rd American, who additionally instructed pals earlier than going to Ukraine that he didn’t plan to combat, is listed by the State Division as of April 28 as lacking in motion.
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