Two Alabama men who joined Ukraine’s fight against Russia have disappeared, according to their families, for fear of being caught by the forces of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Missing are Alexander John-Robert Druek, 39, of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, who served as a sergeant in the United States Army, and Andy Tai Ngoc Huin, 27, of Hartzel, Alabama, whom he served. Marine. Their families said they last heard about them on June 8th.
Joey Black, Huin’s fiancé, said CNN Families had no information about the accident or the whereabouts of the two men.
“We don’t want to speculate on what might have happened at that time,” Blake said. “Obviously, they are examining different scenarios. And one of them they may have caught. But so far we have no full confirmation about it “.
According to a statement from Druek’s family, two men were missing when their unit met on June 9 in a “huge fire” in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region. Their subsequent search yielded no results.
“It could mean they were hiding or it could mean they were covered,” said Drew’s mother, Bani Druik. According to the New York Times.
The State Department said Wednesday that officials were “aware of unconfirmed reports of two U.S. citizens detained in Ukraine,” CNN reported.
“We are closely monitoring the situation and are in contact with the Ukrainian authorities,” the spokesman continued. “In terms of privacy, we have no further comment.”
If these men had been captured by the Russians, they would have been the first American POW in this battle.
John Kirby, the National Security Council’s strategic communications coordinator, said at a White House briefing Wednesday that he could not confirm the information.
“If that’s true, we’ll do our best to get them home safely,” Kirby told reporters.
Kirby said Americans should not travel to Ukraine today.
“If you want to support Ukraine, there are many other ways to make it safer and more effective,” Kirby said. “Ukraine is not a place to travel for Americans.”
Bonnie Drew and Blake were interviewed by CNN’s Anderson Cooper on Wednesday night. Druke explained why his son left for Ukraine.
“He’s one of the most loyal Americans you’ve ever met and he’s proud to have served his country,” Druke said. He said: “Mom, I really need to go and help in the fight in Ukraine, because if Putin is not stopped there, he will not be satisfied, he will be encouraged and eventually the Americans will be a threat.”
Blake seems proud of her boyfriend.
“He’s very strong and he has a very big heart,” Black said. “He did not go there for selfish or other reasons. He really has this cry in his heart and this great burden, to go and serve the people as soon as possible. “
“I know it’s not a good situation, but I’m still proud of him and I want to see him safely,” Black said.
The State Department announced Wednesday, the United States has sent an additional $ 1 billion in military aid to Ukraine. Thus, the US contribution was $ 5.6 billion after Russia’s invasion of the country on February 24th.
President Joe Biden said he told Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky that the United States would also provide $ 225 million in humanitarian aid to Ukrainians.
“I reaffirm my commitment to the United States to support Ukraine while upholding its democracy and upholding sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of Russia’s unprovoked aggression,” Biden said.
Source: Huffpost
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.