US in contact with Ukraine about 2 US fighters captured by Russia
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American media reported that Russian soldiers captured two American fighters in Ukraine.
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A Ukrainian soldier on the front line in the Donbas (Diego Herrera Carcedo / Anadolu Agency)
The US State Department is in contact with Ukrainian authorities about two American fighters who were allegedly captured by Russian forces in Ukraine on Wednesday, according to Fox News.
The media reported that Russian forces captured US citizens Alexander Drueke, 39, and Andy Huynh, 27, earlier in the day.
The US government is closely monitoring the situation and is in contact with Ukrainian authorities, but due to privacy concerns, the US government has no further comment, according to the report.
The official urged US citizens to avoid traveling to Ukraine, particularly for the purpose of fighting Russian and allied forces during Russia's special military operation there.
One of the captured Americans is a US Marine Corps veteran, and the other is an Army veteran, The New York Post reported.
2 former us servicemen andrew drueke & andy huynh have been captured by russian forces outside of kharkiv
— ian bremmer (@ianbremmer) June 15, 2022
believed to be the first americans in the ukraine conflict to be taken as pows pic.twitter.com/4TpXDQSNao
White House has no confirmation
The National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications John Kirby stated that the White House is unable to confirm media reports of two US fighters captured by Russian soldiers in Ukraine.
"I can't confirm the reports … Just was made aware of them before I came out here," Kirby told a press briefing. "We'll do the best we can to monitor this and see what we can learn about it. " The White House discourages Americans from going to Ukraine and fighting there, he added.
"It is a war zone. It’s combat," he said. "Ukraine is not the place for Americans to be traveling."
Moreover, in May, defense authorities reported that the US military is increasing weapon training for Ukrainian soldiers, with hundreds currently being taught about artillery systems, drones, and radars.
The program, which involves sending Ukrainians out of the country to train in various sites throughout Europe, has accelerated dramatically after the Pentagon reported in early April that it had educated roughly a dozen such personnel on how to use Switchblade drones.
More than 220 Ukrainians have received training in US artillery, including the M777 Howitzer, a 10,000-pound device that can be carried by trucks and reach targets up to 18 miles distant with 155 mm shells. Washington has offered 90 such systems to Kiev.
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