Russian forces released video of the two Americans who went missing last week while fighting Kremlin forces in the Ukraine.
This video was uploaded on Twitter by Alexander Drueke (39) and Marine Andy Huynh (27), who are taken into custody while they identify themselves. They then have to use Russian to communicate their fear.
‘My name is Alexander Drueke, I am against war,’ Drueke said. He then reiterates in Russian, ‘Ya protiv voyny,’ meaning I am against war.
‘Ya protiv voyny,’ Huynh repeats after a quick cut.
Drueke addresses Bunny as he assures her that they will return home.
Drueke replied, “Mom. I wanted to let to you that I’m still alive. I want to return home as soon as possible.” ‘Love you.’
These disturbing videos were made a day following a photograph of the couple The Russian army truck hauled them to safety.Their hands were behind their heads, suggesting that they were bound up after being captured June 9 by Russians.
Alexander Drueke, 39, left, and Andy Huynh, 27, appeared terrified in footage released by Russian forces where they identified themselves and denounced war. After their Ukrainian platoon was attacked by Russian troops, the men disappeared last week.
Undated photo of Drueke and Huynh was uploaded to Telegram’s messaging app, Thursday. This happened one day before the official video.
The U.S. State Department said it was working to verify the undated photo that was posted by a Russian blogger on the Telegram messaging app, CNN reported.
Bunny Drueke, Drueke’s mother and a strong advocate for her son’s release, said to CNN that Drueke’s photo was circulated in Russian media.
“They are working hard to verify that,” she stated of the State Department. We are optimistic.
As the U.S. Marine veteran and third American Marine veteran, Ret., verified their authenticity, video and picture circulated. Capt. Grady Kurpasi is missing since April.
Russian state TV has reported on Thursday that Americans have been captured. They speculated on their safety, and said they will be brought to trial and face the death penalty.
Drueke, (left) and Huynh (right), are feared to have been taken prisoner by Russian forces last week on the outskirts of Kharkiv after their unit was ambushed by Russian soldiers
Drueke turns 40 in a month. A former U.S. Army Staff Sergeant, he served two tours of duty in Iraq, and volunteered for the Ukrainian Army.
Huynh was a Marine who served for four years and had never seen active combat. He flew to Ukraine to serve as a volunteer in April.
Both of the U.S. fighters are from Alabama, but it remains unclear if they knew each other before they ventured to the war zone.
One of their comrades said that the two were part of an elite ten-man group defending Kharkiv. However, they were attacked by Russian troops last week.
Drueke, Huynh and a Russian tank were able to disable the Russian tank using a grenade. However, they lost their way in the fog of returning fire. They were gone by the time the fog cleared.
“We were on a mission when the entire thing turned into a nightmare due to poor intelligence. The Russians attacked it. We were initially told that it was cleared.
They brought two T72 tanks with them, as well as multiple BMP3s (armored combat vehicles), and 100 infantry. One of their comrades said that the only thing left was the ten-man squad.
“We believe they were unconscious from either an anti-tank mine or a tank firing at them. Later search missions did not find any sign of them.
“We sent up drones and put a Ukrainian search group on the ground, but found nothing. If they were hit by the tank shell, there would be remains of their equipment or bodies at the scene,” he stated.
The United States has stated that it hasn’t yet asked Russia to provide information about Drueke or Huynh.
“As of today we have not raised it yet with Russia Federation… (We haven’t seen any from the Russians indicating two such individuals may be in their custody,” Ned Price, spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, told reporters Wednesday.
Two U.S. combatants are both from Alabama. The fighters had destroyed a Russian tank by using a mine, but lost them in the fog.
Joy Black, Huynh’s fiancee (left), and Drueke’s mother Bunny appeared on Good Morning America (right) to plead for their release
The news that the drone didn’t find bodies came as a relief to Bunny, who told Fox News, ‘This could mean they are in hiding or it could mean they have been captured.’
According to her, she had last spoken with her son June 5, and received a text message on June 9 a few days later.
“Going dark almost for all of tomorrow.” The message from his last text was read: “Possibly tomorrow too.”
On June 13, five days later, she got a message from another platoon member informing her about her son’s disappearance.
Huynh’s fiancée, Joy Black, sobbed in an interview with Good Morning America on Thursday as she pleaded for help.
“We really miss him. He has such an enormous heart.
“He understood that this was not an easy task, but he did it because it was right.” Even though not many great things have occurred, I am still very, very proud of him.
Speaking about her son, Bunny added: ‘He wanted to go over and help train Ukrainian soldiers and show them how to use the equipment that the US has been sending over there for them.’
She stated that she was driven by fears that Putin wouldn’t stop at Ukraine, as well as the fear that he would invade Europe.
U.S. Marine veteran Ret. Right, Captain Grady Kurpasi left the United States for Ukraine in March. His body was not found. He had been retired from the military in November 2021, and was working in an area that came under attack in April. The body of the deceased has never been located
Kurpasi was born in Kurpasi, arrived in country in March 7. He reached the capital in March 21. Kurpasi was last seen between April 23-24.
Ret. US Marine veteran Ret. is also missing. CNN reported that Grady Kurpasi (Captain Grady Kurpasi) left for Ukraine on March 3.
Since April, no one has heard of him. It is believed that he has disappeared, and there are fears that he was killed.
Before moving to Eastern Europe, he had lived in Wilmington, North Carolina.
The U.S. Marine Corps had been serving Captain Kurpasi for over 20 years, and he was only just retiring from it in November 2021.
A family friend stated that he decided to join the Ukrainians, but didn’t see himself on the frontlines.
Kurpasi told CNN that his friend George Heath said, “For him personally, it is a skill set that makes him feel he can help others,”. He wanted to help the Ukrainian people. He didn’t intend to fight.
Kurpasi arrived in Pakistan on March 7, and was already in the capital as of March 21. He was last heard from around April 23 and 24 according to Heath.
At the end April, he was assigned to mann a Kherson observation post. Around that point, he quit communicating with Americans back home.
According to reports, the position he was stationed at suffered a’small-arms fire’ attack on April 26.
Kurpasi and another soldier went out to check what was going on. They left the observation point before radioing back to the Ukrainian military for their response.
Heath stated that he was certain it was his last contact with him.
Heath stated that Heath was not interested in being involved with firefights or doing things like this. “It ended up that way at the end.
Kurpasi has never been identified.
Dureke and Huynh were the only exceptions to the general population of the platoon that the duo was fighting in. Surveys by drones revealed that there were no signs of Dureke and Huynh.
British war prisoners Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner were both sentenced to death by Donetsk Court on June 9th, accused of being foreign merchants. Their capture was done in April with the help of a Moroccan fighter (right).
John Kirby, Pentagon spokesperson said Wednesday that while the administration will do everything possible to bring the terrorists home safely, but that Americans need to be reminded not to travel in the region.
If true, we’ll do all we can to return them safe and sound. It is important to remember that Americans are discouraged from fighting in Ukraine. It’s a warzone. This is war. There are many safer ways for you to support Ukraine if your heart is set on this cause.
Kirby, White House Press Secretary said that Ukraine isn’t the best place right now.
After two Brits had been taken hostage by Putin’s army, this is the second time they have received such a sentence. A proxy court in eastern Ukraine has handed down death sentences to Shaun Pinner, Aiden Aslin.
They were arrested in April. They were captured in April.
Officials in Britain claim they will do everything possible to free the couple from Russian custody and prevent their execution.