US Mercenaries Taken Captive by Russian Forces in Ukraine

Two American men working as mercenaries in Ukraine have been captured by the Russian Federation’s military.

The pair of former servicemen were reportedly taken prisoner outside the city of Kharkiv last week.

Alexander Drueke, 39, and Andy Tai Ngoc Huynh, 27, had been working with a regular Ukrainian army unit. They are believed to be the first Americans to end up as prisoners of war during Russia’s military operation in Ukrinae.

Drueke is reported to have previously invaded Iraq with the U.S. Army, while Huynh reportedly served as a cook for four years in the U.S. Marines. The Vietnamese American kitchen worker had never been in active combat, having spent most of his time cooking for troops on a military base in Okinawa, Japan.

Drueke and Huyn join an increasing number of Westerners captured by Russian forces, including at least two Britons. Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner, British mercenaries, have already confessed to war crimes in a court of law in Donetsk and have been told they face the death penalty.