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Two U.S. veterans who have been assisting the Ukrainian armed forces in the fight against Russia have reportedly gone missing in the eastern Ukrainian region of Kharkiv, and are believed to have been captured by Russian military troops.
Relatives of Andy Huynh, 27, and Alexander Drueke, 39, both from Allabama, have said June 15 was the last day they contacted them.
Relatives and a US State Department spokesman said the suspicion had not yet been confirmed whether the two men were in the hands of Russian forces.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on June 16 that Washington had not contacted Moscow regarding the two US citizens.
If Huynh and Drueke are caught, they will become the first two confirmed cases of U.S. citizens being captured by Russian forces since the start of Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine on February 24th.
White House spokesman John Kirby said that if the reports were confirmed, Washington would do “everything it can to bring the two men back.”
Last week, two Britons, Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner, and a Moroccan national, Saaudun Brahim, were sentenced to death by Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine for “mercenary activities.”
All three were serving in the Ukrainian army when they were captured by pro-Russian separatists.
The United Kingdom, the United Nations, Ukraine and Germany have all condemned the decisions.
Aslin’s family said he and Pinner had been living in Ukraine since the war broke out in February and “as members of the Ukrainian armed forces, they should be treated with respect, like prisoners of war.”
Saaudun Brahim’s father said on June 13 that his son also had Ukrainian citizenship, so he should be treated as he deserves.
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