An exclusive report from Britain’s Telegraph newspaper revealed this week how two U.S. army veterans were captured by Russian forces in Ukraine last week. The report revealed how the families of the soldiers, as well as a number of American legislators, are currently working to figure out what happened in Ukraine and whether the soldiers and currently in Russian custody.
The United States Department of State confirmed on Wednesday that it was aware of the media reports. However, no further information was provided by the government at this stage.
According to the Telegraph’s report, the two men were veterans volunteering their time to the Ukrainian military. The soldiers are believed to have been working with a Ukrainian army unit and were taken prisoner by Russian soldiers near the city of Kharkiv.
The report follows similar reports that two British volunteers in Ukraine were also captured by the Russians and sentenced to death in a court in the pro-Kremlin Donetsk People’s Republic. The sentence was roundly condemned by the United Nations and the British government, but the Kremlin used the story as an example for foreign soldiers looking to help Ukraine.
Russia said recently that the story should be a warning to “soldiers of fortune fighting for Ukraine,” but did indicate that the country was willing to consider an appeal from the United Kingdom.
Soldiers’ Family Members Speak Out
Speaking to Military.com, family members of the American soldiers described what led the men to travel to Ukraine.
Lois Drueke, the mother of Alexander Drueke, age 39, said that her son was in the army for eight years. Drueke left the military as a staff sergeant and chose to volunteer to train Ukrainian soldiers in April.
According to local media reports in Alabama, 27-year-old Andy Huynh was a Marine veteran who traveled to Ukraine in April. The young American soldier felt compelled to help the country after seeing video clips of Ukrainian teenagers fighting with the Russians.
How Many Foreign Soldiers Are In Ukraine?
At this stage, it’s unclear just how many foreign volunteers are fighting alongside Ukraine’s military – but in the early days of the war, Kyiv revealed that as many as 20,000 people had volunteered to help.
Among those helping the Ukrainian fighters were military veterans, some of whom were actively engaged in fighting while others were assisting with the training of Ukrainian soldiers.
In early March, The Associated Press revealed that roughly 6,000 Americans had signed up to help, but roughly half of those volunteers were rejected before even reaching the interview stage. However, of those 3,000 who reached the interview stage, only 100 allegedly made the cut.
Jack Buckby is a British author, counter-extremism researcher, and journalist based in New York. Reporting on the U.K., Europe, and the U.S., he works to analyze and understand left-wing and right-wing radicalization, and reports on Western governments’ approaches to the pressing issues of today. His books and research papers explore these themes and propose pragmatic solutions to our increasingly polarized society.
