The families of two US
fighters captured by Putin’s army in Ukraine are begging the Biden
administration to negotiate their release as fears grow that they will be
handed death sentences like the two Brits captured earlier this year who now
await death by firing squad.
Robert Drueke, 39, and Andy
Huynh, 27, were captured by Russian soldiers last week as they defended the
city of Kharkiv as part of a ten-man squad along with other French and US
volunteer fighters.
Drueke served in the US Army
in Iraq whereas Huynh was a Marine for four years. He had never been
in active combat before flying to Ukraine in April to volunteer. Both of
the US fighters captured yesterday are from Alabama, but it remains
unclear if they knew each other before they ventured to the war zone.
Now, the families of the two
men are begging the government for help as the situation in Ukraine
intensifies; Russia continues to advance through eastern Ukraine, prompting
military officials to concede yesterday that the numbers ‘favor’ Putin’s forces
so far. The US pledged another $1billion in weapons and aid yesterday amid
criticism that the West has not done enough to help Ukrainian President Zelensky or
his men.
The war has now raged for over
three months and shows no signs of slowing down, with Kharkiv – where the two
Americans were captured – consistently under siege.
Yesterday, Pentagon spokesman
John Kirby said the administration would do ‘everything we can’ to bring them
‘safely home’ however he said their capture should serve as a reminder to
Americans not to travel to the region.
‘If true, we will do
everything we can to get them safely back home. But this is an important point
in time to remind that we discourage Americans from going to Ukraine and
fighting. It is a warzone. It is combat. If you feel passionate about
supporting Ukraine, there’s any number of other ways to do that that are
safer.
‘Ukraine is not the place for
Americans right now,’ Kirby said at a White House press briefing.
Huynh’s fiancée, Joy Black,
sobbed in an interview with Good Morning America on Thursday as she
pleaded for help.
‘We just really want him back.
He’s got such a big heart.
‘He knew this wasn’t an easy
thing but this was the right thing. Even though not great things have happened,
I’m still really, really proud of him.’
Drueke’s mother Bunny said:
‘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 said he was driven by the
fear that Putin would not stop at Ukraine, and that he would try to invade the
rest of Europe.
” We will do
everything we can to get them safely back home. But this is an important point
in time to remind people that we discourage Americans from going to Ukraine and
fighting. It is a warzone. It is combat. If you feel passionate about
supporting Ukraine, there are any number of other ways to do that that is safer.
Ukraine is not the place for Americans right now,”
A State Department spokesman
told DailyMail.com on Wednesday: ‘We once again reiterate U.S. citizens should
not travel to Ukraine due to the active armed conflict and the singling out of
U.S. 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.’
One of the men’s comrades
described losing sight of the pair in a battle last week as they defended
Kharkiv.
The pair were part of a
ten-man squad defending Kharkiv last week when they were ambushed by Russian
soldiers, according to one of their comrades.
