Ukraine war: Russia says captured US fighters must be ‘held responsible for their crimes’
- The Kremlin made its first formal acknowledgement that it was holding the men, who have been identified as Andy Huynh and Alexander Drueke
- A spokesman called them ‘soldiers of fortune’, and said they were not subject to the Geneva Convention
Two Americans detained in Ukraine while fighting on the Ukrainian side of the war were mercenaries who endangered the lives of Russian servicemen and should face responsibility for their actions, the Kremlin said on Monday.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, interviewed by the US television network NBC, also said US basketball star Brittney Griner, held in Russia for more than two months, was guilty of drug offences and not a hostage.
Peskov’s comments were the first formal acknowledgement that the two men, identified in US reports as Andy Huynh, 27, of Hartselle, Alabama, and Alexander Drueke, 39, of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, were being held and under investigation.
“They are soldiers of fortune. They were involved in illegal activities on the territory of Ukraine. They were involved in firing at and shelling of our military personnel. They were endangering their lives,” Peskov said.
“And they should be held responsible for those crimes they have committed. Those crimes have to be investigated … The only thing that is clear is that they have committed crimes. They are not in the Ukrainian army. They are not subject to the Geneva Convention.”
Family members said last week the two men went to Ukraine as volunteer fighters and had gone missing. Russian media last week broadcast images of them captured while fighting for Ukraine.